Trove of Ellsworth Kelly works given to Philadelphia Museum of Art

Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Study for Curve I,’ 1968, found crushed wax paper cup. © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo courtesy of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, in honor of the Ellsworth Kelly Centennial.
Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Study for Curve I,’ 1968, found crushed wax paper cup. © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo courtesy of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, in honor of the Ellsworth Kelly Centennial.
Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Study for Curve I,’ 1968, found crushed wax paper cup. © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo courtesy of the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, in honor of the Ellsworth Kelly Centennial.

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Museum of Art is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth with a new exhibition highlighting an extraordinary group of drawings that Jack Shear, the artist’s longtime partner and husband, has generously offered along with a related painting and sculpture as gifts to the museum. They come just as the museum has dedicated Gallery 275 as the newly endowed Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman Gallery, which has long showcased the early work of Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) and will be devoted to artist’s work and legacy.

Continue reading

Gertrude Abercrombie and Bridget Riley triumphed in back-to-back Hindman sales

Left, Gertrude Abercrombie, ‘Four Trees and Three Owls,’ $352,800; Right, Bridget Riley, ‘Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance,’ $88,200. Images courtesy of Hindman
Left, Gertrude Abercrombie, ‘Four Trees and Three Owls,’ $352,800; Right, Bridget Riley, ‘Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance,’ $88,200. Images courtesy of Hindman

CHICAGO – Bridget Riley, Gertrude Abercrombie, and Howardena Pindell led Hindman’s Post War & Contemporary Art and Prints & Multiples auctions in April. With several new records set across both sales, there was particularly strong bidding activity for works by post-war women artists. Abstract, minimalist and pop art by masters such as Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly and Roy Lichtenstein also saw passionate bidding.

Continue reading

Who’s who of Modern and Contemporary prints at Hindman, April 20

One of 10 prints from a complete Numbers portfolio by Robert Indiana, estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Hindman
Bridget Riley, ‘Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance,’ estimated at $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Hindman

Bridget Riley, ‘Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance,’ estimated at $25,000-$35,000. Courtesy Hindman

CHICAGO – Collectors looking for color this spring will be drawn in by Hindman’s Thursday, April 20 Prints & Multiples auction and its dynamic offering of 20th-century prints. Anchored by artworks spanning from 1950 to the present, the sale features creators renowned for their bold color palettes. With more than 200 lots, the sale will be highlighted by renowned Pop artists such as Robert Indiana and Wayne Thiebaud to Op Art artists and Minimalists such as Bridget Riley and Frank Stella. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Continue reading

Glenstone Museum celebrates Ellsworth Kelly’s centennial

Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Spectrum IX,’ 2014. Acrylic on canvas, 12 joined panels, 107 ¾ by 96in (274 by 243cm) © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo credit Ron Amstutz. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery
Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Spectrum IX,’ 2014. Acrylic on canvas, 12 joined panels, 107 ¾ by 96in (274 by 243cm) © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo credit Ron Amstutz. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery
Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Spectrum IX,’ 2014. Acrylic on canvas, 12 joined panels, 107 ¾ by 96in (274 by 243cm) © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Photo credit Ron Amstutz. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery

POTOMAC, Md. – To mark the centennial of artist Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-2015), Glenstone Museum will mount a major survey exhibition commemorating the artist’s seven-decade career. Ellsworth Kelly at 100 will be one of the largest retrospectives of Kelly’s work in the 21st century and the first traveling exhibition organized by Glenstone. It will open on May 4 and remain on view until March of 2024.

Continue reading

Kawashima’s ‘Cat’ charmed bidders at John Moran sale

Hideaki Kawashima, ‘Cat,’ $21,250
Hideaki Kawashima, ‘Cat,’ $21,250
Hideaki Kawashima, ‘Cat,’ $21,250

MONROVIA, Calif. – On September 14, John Moran Auctioneers had its third offering of Modern and Contemporary works this year most of which hailed from The Blake Byrne Collection. The late television executive producer was a formidable collector who called both Paris and Los Angeles home and his impeccable taste for contemporary cutting-edge works traveled with him. The sale was composed of several internationally known artists including Jim Shaw, Rita McBride, Takashi Murakami, Joshua Nathanson, Neil Farber, Susanna Coffey, Serban Savu, and Paul P.

Continue reading

Rose Art Museum marks sixth decade with anniversary exhibit

Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.
Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.
Sam Gilliam, ‘Wide Narrow,’ 1972, acrylic on canvas, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University. Rose Art Museum Acquisition Fund, Gift of Monroe and Edith Geller. Charles Mayer Photography.

WALTHAM, Mass.  – “I don’t want to wallow in art history,” wrote Jack Whitten. “I want to use art history as a catapult.” As an artist, Whitten recognized the past as both a foundation and a launching pad to reach uncharted realms. Organized in celebration of the Rose’s 60th anniversary and opened June 25, the exhibition re: collections, Six Decades at the Rose Art Museum, casts a critical eye in these two directions: highlighting the Rose’s radical roots while showcasing the potential for future transformations. Following the example of artists featured in the exhibition, re: collections challenges art historical conventions and cultural hierarchies by charting alternative genealogies that link artworks drawn from the museum’s stellar permanent collection. The show will be on view for three years, with several rotations.

Continue reading

Warhol, Motherwell and Kelly grace Vliet’s June 28 auction

Portfolio of lithographs by Robert Motherwell, which illustrate three poems by the Nobel Prize-winning poet, Octavio Paz, estimated at €2,400-€2,880
Portfolio of lithographs by Robert Motherwell, which illustrate three poems by the Nobel Prize-winning poet, Octavio Paz, estimated at €2,400-€2,880

BERLIN – Jeschke van Vliet Auctions Berlin GmbH goes to market with a strong offering in its spring Modern and Contemporary Art and Photography auction on June 28. The sale will commence at 2 pm Berlin time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. The auction was curated by department head Anica Piontek, together with her colleague, Balazs Jadi, who together are considered by industry insiders to be Jeschke’s secret weapon when it comes to important acquisitions.

Continue reading