Nicholas Krushenick (American, 1929-1999). Untitled screenprint in colors/aluminum, 1968. Signed, dated, and numbered 35/50 on lower left. A large-scale composition by Nicholas Kruschenick, an innovative mid-century artist best known for merging Pop Art with abstraction. In this silkscreen on aluminum work, Krushenick's silver cartoon-like cloud-form border seems to move inward, interrupting his bold striped linear forms of complementary orange (two shades) and blue hues, all outlined in black. Interestingly, Krushenick presented a dramatic hard-edged, geometrically focused central composition surrounded by his graphic delineation of clouds - an ironically punchy rendering of these natural, celestial forms. A fabulous piece by Nicholas Krushenick whose works have been unsurprisingly compared to those by Roy Lichtenstein, despite the fact that his blend of Pop and abstraction was more closely aligned with the artists of the Brata group. Size: 36.25" L x 36.25" W (92.1 cm x 92.1 cm)

Educated at the Art Students League of New York (1948-50) as well as the Hans Hofmann School of Art (1950-51), Krushenick and his brother John opened Brata Gallery, an artists' cooperative which included the brothers as well as Al Held, Ed Clark, Yayoi Kusama, George Sugarman, and Ron Bladen, in the late 1950s when he was entrenched in the Abstract Expressionist Movement. However, by 1969 Krushenick who was inspired by illustration opted for bolder colors and sharp lines. However, his abstract eye persisted, and this combination made him one of the pioneers of Pop Art. In a recent "Art in America" article, Stephen Westfall wrote, "Nicholas Krushenick (1929-1999) made paintings that are simultaneously idiosyncratic and inevitable, melding Pop and abstraction seemingly before anyone else thought to do it—a fusion that has survived its original moment to seem more vital than ever. Although he enjoyed considerable success in his lifetime, Krushenick wasn't catapulted into the front rank of American painters, where he arguably deserves to be." (Stephen Westfall. "Inventing Pop Abstraction," Art in America, February 1, 2015)

Westfall went on to reason that Krushenick did not receive enough recognition during his lifetime because he was a bit "ornery" and most of all because "Krushenick's work is too Pop for the abstract purists and too abstract for Pop's populism." This said, he continued, "Maybe that's why it doesn't look dated in the least." Today Krushenick's works are the object of well-deserved recognition with New York exhibitions at Mitchell Algus, Marianne Boesky, Gary Snyder and Garth Greenan as well as the first survey of his oeuvre at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs in the winter/spring of 2015.

A screenprint in colors on aluminum of the same composition but different hues (green, blue, and yellow) hammered at $3400 at Swann Galleries, New York, NY on June 10, 2021 - lot #373.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167821

Signed, dated, and numbered 35/50 on lower left. A few scuffs, stains, and abrasions to the screenprint as shown. Normal aging and slight separation to facing on sides. Otherwise very good, wired for suspension, and ready to display. Label on verso reads "37 C11 Krushenick Composition".