From 9th – 30th September, Lempertz will be paying homage to Ellsworth Kelly in a comprehensive exhibition of his graphic oeuvre.
The American painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly, who passed away late last year, was one of the principal protagonists of the Hard Edge movement, known for its non-figural, geometric style of painting, vivid colours and sharp angles.
Following WWII, Kelly studied at the “School of The Museum of Fine Arts” in Boston and the “École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts” in Paris, and afterwards taught at the “American School” in Paris, where he came into contact with many important artists such as Constantin Brancusi, Francis Picabia and Hans Arp. His paintings and sculptures received numerous accolades and were exhibited not only in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim and Centre Pompidou but also at the documenta in Kassel and the Venice Biennale.
With his unparalleled flair for combining vivid colours in geometric and biomorphic compositions, Kelly exerted considerable influence over the development of abstract art in America after 1945. His reduced style of painting gains particular importance through its closeness to sculpture. By placing his painted panels over each other and extending them into the room, he creates a three-dimensional effect, which gives shape to the idea of sculptural painting.
In this extensive exhibition, Lempertz will be showing 32 graphic works by the artist, spanning from 1964 to 2000. The carefully curated private collection features lithographs, serigraphs and etchings, and provides a comprehensive and representative overview of the artist’s most important abstract printed works, shedding light on the primary creative facets of this pioneer of the hard-edge style.
The US American artist is strongly represented in Berlin. His 12 meter high stainless steel sculpture “Berlin Totem” is exhibited in the central courtyard of the United States Embassy, and he also created the installation “Berlin Panels 2000” for the German Bundestag on the west façade of the Paul-Löbe-Haus.
Lempertz Berlin
Poststraße 22 - 10178 Berlin-Mitte
Exhibition
9th to 30th September 2016, Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10 am - 3 pm
Opening on 8th September, 7 pm
Captions
Ellsworth Kelly, Dark Blue Curve, 1995. Original Colour Lithograph on cardboard, 65.4 x 76.2 cm. Axsom 270. Price: € 6,200.
Ellsworth Kelly, Red-Orange over Blue, 1964-1965. Original Colour Lithograph on cardboard, 89.5 X 59.7 cm. Axsom 20. Price: € 8,800.
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