Pair of screenprints in colors on heavy wove paper
USA, 1965
Ellsworth Kelly (b. 1923) and Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
Each signed in pencil and numbered from an edition of 150
Published by The Paris Review, New York
Each with full margins
Dimensions (each): 40 x 26 ¼ in. (101.6 x 66.7 cm.)
Good condition
Estimate $700-$900

Ellsworth Kelly (American, b. 1923)

A major influence on Pop Art, Minimalism, Post-painterly Abstraction hard-edge and color field painting without becoming fully a part of any of these movements, Ellsworth Kelly’s best-known works are distinguished by sharply delineated shapes flatly painted in vivid color. His abstract paintings are inspired by the interplay of light, space, and color in the architecture around him. He also worked in a large scale for major public pieces, including commissions for Lincoln Park, Chicago (1981), Dallas (1985) and Barcelona (1986). Drawings and works on paper, particularly figure and numerous plant drawings, consistently partnered painting and sculpture in his productive career. Kelly has been the subject of major exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, and his work is in many public collections, including those of the Centre Pompidou, Paris, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, and Tate Modern, London.

Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991)

Alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell is considered one of the great American Abstract Expressionist painters. His esteemed intellect not only undergirded his gorgeous, expressive paintings—frequently featuring bold black shapes against fields of color—but also made Motherwell one of the leading writers, theorists, and advocates of the New York School. He forged close friendships with the European Surrealists and other intellectuals over his interests in poetry and philosophy, and as such served as a vital link between the pre-war avant-garde in Europe and its post-war counterpart in New York, establishing automatism and psychoanalysis as central concerns of American abstraction. He is best known for his mature work, recognizable for its graphic composition of saturated and expressive brushstrokes. In addition to his contributions in painting, Motherwell taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina and Hunter College in New York, and was the editor of several influential books on art history. Motherwell’s works can be found in renowned museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo.

Condition

Each with minor soiling and scattered soft handling creases. Motherwell with ¼-inch minor tear in extreme lower left margin. Otherwise each in generally good condition.

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