Oil on canvas, stretched and framed. featuring an abstract expressionist composition. Signed Adolph GottLieb on the lower right corner. Attributed to Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974, American). 55.5 x 34 cm (21.9 x 13.4 inches). Framed size: 65 x 44 cm (25.6 x 17.3 inches). PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) was a prominent American painter and member of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists. Characterized by an idiosyncratic use of abstraction that utilized pictographs and mythological symbols, his works achieved an emotional intensity through both color and line. “Today when our aspirations have been reduced to a desperate attempt to escape from evil, and times are out of joint, our obsessive, subterranean and pictographic images are the expression of the neurosis which is our reality,” he once reflected. “To my mind certain so-called abstraction is not abstraction at all. On the contrary, it is the realism of our time.” Born on March 14, 1904, in New York, NY, he studied from 1920 until 1921 at the Art Students League of New York. Entering into a milieu of painters that included Mark Rothko and Lou Schanker, Gottlieb like Rothko began producing works which were influenced by the stylized figuration of Milton Avery. Interested in Surrealism, Gottlieb’s work became more abstract as it incorporated ideas such as automatic drawing and the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung into his practice. By the 1960s, he began producing some of his most famous works, collectively known as the Burst Paintings, the common motif of these works is a sun-like orb hovering above calligraphic marks. The artist died on March 4, 1974 in New York, NY, and in accordance to his wishes, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation was formed in 1976, offering grants to visual artists. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Reina Sofia National Museum in Madrid, among others.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed .

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

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

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

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.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

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