Lila Katzen

"Inside the Black Diamond, " Lila Katzen, Pop Art, Color Field Female Abstract

1964

Sherron Francis Untitled, circa 1975 Acrylic on canvas 90 x 64 inches Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known name...

Jay Rosenblum (1933 - 1989) Untitled, 1973 Acrylic on canvas 54 x 128 inches Signed twice and dated on the reverse Provenance: Private Collection, Long Island Jay Rosenblum experim...

SHERRON FRANCIS (AMERICAN, B. 1940) Pete's Neck, 1981 Acrylic on canvas 34 1/2 x 22 inches Signed, titled and dated on the reverse A reappraisal is lo...

SHERRON FRANCIS (AMERICAN, B. 1940) Trap Rock, 1972 Acrylic on canvas 22 3/4 x 16 inches Signed, titled and dated on the reverse A reappraisal is long overdue for the second-generation abstract expressionists. Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known names. However, Sherron Francis, a female artist from the Midwestern United States, exhibited alongside many of these stars, yet has not been the recipient of a major exhibition in nearly 40 years. Francis was born in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Illinois in 1940. She studied fine art at the University of Oklahoma from 1958 to 1960 before transferring to the Kansas City Art Institute for better educational opportunities. At the time, Francis remained loyal to figurative art. Philip Pearlstein, a contemporary artist and visiting professor once remarked at the confidence of Francis’ draftsman abilities. In the early 1960s, art dealers and gallerists from New York would visit the Institute to recruit artists by offering scholarships, but they only offered these scholarships to men. Francis was forced to plead with deans to allow a scholarship for women so that she could continue her studies. She ultimately graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1963. In Missouri, Francis met Dan Christensen (Class of 1964), an artist friend, who would play a key role in her career throughout the next two decades. Francis then received her MFA from the University of Indiana, where she was housemates with Mernet Larsen, before assuming a teaching position at Eastern Michigan University. In 1968, with only $300 on hand, Francis moved to 16 Waverly Place in Soho. At the time, the neighborhood boasted some of the biggest names in abstract expressionism. She quickly became friends with Peter Reginato, Walter Darby Bannard, Michael Steiner, Peter Young, Larry Zox, and Larry Poons, who all lived and worked in the neighborhood. In fact, Francis introduced Larry Poons to his now wife, Paula, a friend and student of Sherron’s. Francis helped to found The Bowery Gallery in 1969 and received her first solo exhibition there in 1970 for her figurative works. After this exhibition, Francis decided to switch to abstraction. By 1971, Christensen, who was exhibiting with Andre Emmerich, introduced Francis to the legendary gallerist. There was no better gallery to be showcasing abstract expressionism and color field painting during this decade for an artist. For example, in 1972, Emmerich held solo exhibitions by art titans, such as Hans Hofmann, Al Held, Esteban Vicente, David Hockney, and Morris Louis. In 1973 alone, Emmerich gave one-person exhibitions to Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Hans Hofmann, Jack Bush and a new discovery: 32-year-old Sherron Francis. The January 27 - February 14 exhibition for Francis was a great success with Peter Schjeldahl commenting in the New York Times: “Francis has…sidestepped the danger of seeming hopelessly derivative of such artists as Mark Rothko, Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler —by, it seems to me, the use of a single canny formal device. All her canvases are tall, vertical rectangles. What this shape achieves is a physical presence that supports the paintings' fragile play of color and texture. Bearing roughly the proportions of the human body, but bigger in size, her pictures confront the viewer with a satisfying firmness, inviting delectation.” Francis’s career now took off with the stain paintings. In a 1974 article in Arts Magazine, Whee Kim writes, “She has asserted the credibility of her own answer to the problem of the outer edge of a canvas by limiting her investigations to a singular central image. In her variations on this theme, an intuitive sense of color and touch is given restricted free-play.” Schjeldahl added, “Her paintings, stained and brushed to a suavely grainy texture, each float an area of warm, soft color in a somewhat less‐intensely colored field. The areas are amorphous in shape and closely related, by hue, to the surrounding fields. Her colors run to luxurious brown‐golds, dreamy bluegreens and dusty pinks, though each canvas is alive with a variety of evanescent hues and tints. The goal of her art is to be at once as gorgeous and as delicate as possible: she intends to ravish.” In 1973, Francis exhibited at the Whitney Biennial and then received a second solo exhibition at Emmerich the following year. Corporate collections and private enthusiasts, including Helen Frankenthaler, rushed to purchase her paintings. More than sixty of her paintings sold in one year at Emmerich’s gallery. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Francis exhibited at other leading American galleries, including Janie C. Lee Gallery in Houston, Barbara Kornblatt Gallery in Baltimore, Douglas Drake in Kansas City, Rubiner Gallery in Detroit, and Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York. Francis always marched to the beat to her own drum. Although she admired the works of Jules Olitski, Jack Bush, and Kenneth Noland, Francis never felt that her work and lifestyle were influenced by others. When her friends summered in the...

Sherron Francis Untitled, 1973 Acrylic on canvas 70 x 48 inches Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known names. How...

Jay Rosenblum Black Whole Signed and titled on the reverse Acrylic on canvas 18 x 32 inches Jay Rosenblum experimented with different versions of the "Visual Stripe motif" for more ...

Swedish artist Jonas Fisch’s imagery is vibrantly buzzing with colorful commentary on society - past and present - morphed into figures, words, and shapes. His heavily layered canvases are the foundations of a new visual dialogue. Fisch paints with a jazz-like spontaneity, expressing personal emotions, commenting on contemporary society, and exploring old mythologies. Formulating a galaxy of the unknown, Fisch’s textural paintings flood the mind with possibility. His process is instinctive and organic, the paintings energetic and vibrant, emerging from his subconscious without judgment. They are constructed by feelings trying to find harmony. Endless figures, messages, layers, and symbols move in and out of focus as the eye explores his puzzle pieces with varied solutions. Jonas Fisch created this large colorful 93-inch tall by 67-inch wide painting with mixed media. acrylic, and oil stick on canvas. This artwork is stretched and is ready to hang. It is signed by the artist on the back of the painting. This artwork does not require framing. Free delivery is available for those in the local Los Angeles area, and affordable worldwide shipping is available for US and international art collectors. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included with the artwork, ensuring that the piece is an authentic work of art from Jonas Fisch. Born in a small fisherman's village in southern Sweden, contemporary artist Jonas Fisch discovered his love for drawing and painting at a young age and was inspired to pursue his passion by renowned artist and grandmother Ann-Marie Sjögren. Fisch reflects, “As a fundamentally introspective person, I have an explosive need to express and communicate my innermost rays, reflections, and shadows. The canvas, the brush, and the paint allow me to act out, throw up, confront, and examine those innermost feelings. Painting becomes my outlet. At a certain moment, each shape, stroke, and color suddenly takes over and the painting reveals itself. It becomes an expressive personal collaboration of art." Fisch's artworks have been exhibited across the United States, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. His paintings can be found in private collections worldwide. REPRESENTATION: Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles Exhibitions 2018 Artspace Warehouse Los Angeles, CA 2018 New York Affordable Art...

Mario Schifano (Homs 1934 – Roma 1998), Aprile (sole di) (1988) Smalto spray su tela di cm 140 x 100 firmato, intitolato sole di e datato 1988 sul retro. L’opera risulta archiviata...

"Political Coalition (utopia of identity)" is a painting by Maestro Vlado Vesselinov. About the painting: Style and Technic: POP ART, Contemporary, Acrylic paint, oil on canvas The...

This work is framed, signed and with certificate of authenticity. His work has been shown in Reina Sofía Museum of Madrid, Royal Academy of London, Arco Madrid, Pinta Art Fair, Londo...

Artist Commentary: This combination might be considered poetic... Keywords: bird, hand, color, black, realist, formal Artist Biography: Robert Crooker was born in Massachusetts in 1951. A life long Red Sox fan, he saw the likes of Frank Malzone, Yaz, George Scott, Rico, Jim Lonborg all play in years gone by. He has been married for over 27 years with 4 children, and 2 grandchildren. In the Mid-1970’s, Robert started collecting Vintage Disney Collectibles...

Artist: Max Epstein, Canadian (1932-2002) Title: Maple Syrup Year: 1976 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed and dated Size: 33 x 33 in. (83.82 x 83.82 cm)