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Paul Kelpe
Constructivist Abstraction — 1930s Spacial Illusionism

1937

About the Item

Paul Kelpe, Untitled (Abstract Composition), lithograph, 1937, edition unknown but small. Signed and dated in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, with all the nuanced texture and tonal variations printing clearly, on cream wove paper; the full sheet with wide margins, in excellent condition. Very scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 11 3/4 x 7 1/8 inches; (298 x 181); sheet size 16 x 11 1/2 inches (406 x 292 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Paul Kelpe was a German-born American abstract painter, printmaker, sculptor, and art professor. A student of Wassily Kandinsky and Laszló Moholy-Nagy before coming to America, he was a key figure in the development of Constructivist abstraction in America and an innovator of 'spatial illusionism' (creating the semblance of three-dimensional space). His constructions which integrated found objects into paintings were the first such works created in the United States. Hired by Burgoyne Diller, he painted two of the five Williamsburg Housing Project murals for the New York WPA mural program—the first abstract murals created in the United States. He said of his own work in 1936: "I compose my paintings of form and color like a musician composes music with rhythm and sound." Kelpe's work was included in the historic American Abstract Artists 1937 print portfolio, which consisted of original lithographs by the 30 founding members of the pioneer association. His work is held by numerous museums throughout the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art.
  • Creator:
    Paul Kelpe (1902 - 1985, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1937
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.75 in (34.93 cm)Width: 7.13 in (18.12 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 1025741stDibs: LU532312094142
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