Oil on canvas, framed. Featuring an abstract expressionist composition. Signed M. Louis 58 on the lower right corner. Attributed to Morris Louis (1912-1962, American). 33 x 49.5 cm (13 x 19.5 inches). Framed size: 45 x 61.5 cm (17.5 x 24.25 inches). PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

Morris Louis (1912-1962) was an American painter and founding member of the Washington Color School movement of the 1950s. His inventive painting technique utilizing vertical stains of color on raw canvas, was largely inspired by the work of Helen Frankenthaler. “I am distrustful of over-simplifications but nonetheless think that there is nothing very new in any period of art,” he once said. “What is true is that it is only something new for the painter and that this thin edge is what matters.” Born on September 7, 1912 in Baltimore, MD, he went on to study at the Maryland Institute College of Art from 1929 to 1933. Following graduation, Louis found employment with the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project in New York. Returning to Baltimore in 1943, his work became increasingly influenced by Joan Miró’s abstract works. In 1952, the artist moved to Washington, D.C., where, like his contemporary Kenneth Noland, he set out to deconstruct what constituted a painting’s formal properties. Tragically, Louis was diagnosed with lung cancer caused by extended inhalation of paint vapors at the age of 49. He died that same year on September 7, 1962 in Washington, D.C. The following year, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York mounted a memorial exhibition of his paintings. Today, the artist’s work are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.

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Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

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In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

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American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).