Natalia Dumitresco
(1915-1997)
"Abstract No. 15," 1960
Gouache and ink on oatmeal-color paper
Signed and dated in ink lower left: Natalia Dumitresco; inscribed with the artist's name and Parisian address, verso, possibly in another hand; titled by repute
Image: 12.5" H x 18.5" W; Sheet: 16.125" H x 22.875" W
Provenance: Galleria Hybler, Copenhagen, Denmark
Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1968
Private Collection, by descent from the above


Notes: Natalia Dumitresco was born in Bucharest, Romania. However, she spent most of her life in Paris, where she moved with her husband, Alexandre Istrati, in 1947. While in Paris, the couple became very close with the artist Constantin Brancusi, who they lived with until he died in 1957. She and Istrati were the driving force behind the restoration of the Brancusi workshop in 1977, in addition to helping his work gain the institutional attention that it has today.

As an artist, Dumitresco gained recognition for her austere style of geometric abstraction that aligned her with the Salon des Realites Nouvelles during her career. This artist organization, which cited Wassily Kandinsky as a significant influence, was dedicated to producing abstract art by its members" a roster that included Jean Arp and Sonia Delaunay. Dumitresco was the recipient of the Kandinsky prize in 1955, and she lived and worked in Paris until she died in 1997. She and her husband Alexandre Istrati are buried with Constantin Brancusi at the Cimetiere du Montparnasse in Paris.

Overall good condition. A few very pale and unobtrusive yellow stains in the margins, the largest being pea-sized. The margins slightly unevenly trimmed along all sides. The work is hinged to the back mat with linen tape from the recto of the upper sheet edge.

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