Items Similar to Near and Far Acuity, Signed Mid Century Modern Op Art painting, historic exhibit
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Richard AnuszkiewiczNear and Far Acuity, Signed Mid Century Modern Op Art painting, historic exhibit1957
1957
About the Item
Richard Anuszkiewicz
Near and Far Acuity, 1957
Gouache and watercolor painting
Hand signed and dated 1957 by Richard Anuszkiewicz on the right front
Frame included
Anuszkiewicz' artworks from the late 1950s are rarely found on the market. This historic painting is one of the works that helped launch the artist's career. It was done in 1957 - the year the artist arrived in New York.
Near and Far Acuity has been removed from its original frame, and re-framed in an elegant wood frame with conservation materials and UV plexiglass. The original gallery label from The Contemporaries has been preserved and affixed to the new backing, and the collector who acquires this work will also be provided with a copy of the original receipt - signed by Karl Lunde (director of the Contemporaries and author of a major monograph on the artist).
Measurements:
Frame:
32 x 28 x 2 inches
Artwork:
21 x 25 inches
This work was first exhibited in the groundbreaking, and career-making 1960 exhibition at The Contemporaries gallery (New York, February 29, 1960 - March 19, 1960) and was featured in the exhibition catalogue, shown in the images here.
In his essay entitled "Richard Anuszkiewicz: Color Precisionist" by art historian John T. Spike, he writes, "In the spring of '57, Richard Anuszkiewicz left Ohio for good. "I was ready. I came to New York with a substantial amount of work. I was ready to go around to the galleries and I was prepared because I really had something. I had an idea. I had a series of paintings that showed this idea and I felt good about it and I felt now that's the only place for me to be." A friend helped him get a job touching up the plaster models of classical temples and statues in the Junior Museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He took off six months the next year to travel around Europe in a Volkswagen, also seeing some places in North Africa. "When I came back, I remember taking my work around to the galleries and receiving interesting comments — positive comments from the various people. But Abstract Expressionism was very popular. My things were very hard-edged, very strong in color — a use of color that nobody was using. Everybody would say. 'Oh, they are nice, but so hard to look at. They hurt my eyes". Leo Castelli considered him seriously but the gallery was developing a specialization in pop artists like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. "I can remember going to Martha Jackson and having her look at the work and she would put her hands straight out in front of her and block out parts of the painting with her hand and she'd say, mmm no rest areas." He finally caught on with The Contemporaries Gallery in the fall of 1959. The gallery at 992 Madison Avenue mainly represented new European talent. Karl Lunde, the gallery director, saw some of his canvases hanging in the office of the American Federation of Arts and was intrigued. Anuszkiewicz was given a solo show in March 1960. The turn out for the opening was promising, but there were no sales — not one — in the first two weeks. Anuszkiewicz's tightly controlled compositions were a radical break from the emotional performances of the Abstract Expressionists still in command of the New York school. The ice was finally broken on the last Saturday morning before the show closed. Alfred F. Barr Jr. walked in and bought Fluorescent Complement for the Museum of Modern Art. Other pictures were snapped up by private collectors, including Governor Nelson Rockefeller and author James Michener. Anuszkiewicz's first one-man show put him on the map. "These first paintings that I did were very interesting because of the vibrancy of the color and because of this strong complementary action that you got, fluorescent action and then the alter-image because you got a sort of movement, they actually seemed to move. I played that up by using a lot of small shapes... that would not sit still on the canvas."He was using only two colors at a time, pitting a "hot" one against a "cool" one of equal strength and letting the chips fall where they may — except the outcome is always an uneasy tie."
About Richard Anuszkiewicz:
"I'm interested in making something romantic out of a very, very mechanistic geometry. Geometry and color represent to me an idealized classical place that's very clear and very pure." -Richard Anuskiewicz
Richard Anuszkiewicz received his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland Institute of Art in Ohio in 1953. He studied at Yale University School of Art and Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut from 1953 to 1955, where he earned his Masters of Fine Arts. His works were included in the seminal 1965 exhibition The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art and along with Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley; he was considered a pioneer of the Optical Art Movement. Life magazine called him “The New Wizard of Op.”
While Anuszkiewicz is known for his important developments as an Op Artist, his paintings also call fourth other associations; mainly the rigorous color theory of his mentor Josef Albers. Anuszkiewicz activates the space around his vividly chromatic squares with diagonals radiating lines to suggest volumes of depth. His paintings explore the optical properties of color; challenging the eye of each viewer while investigating formal, structural and color effects
His work is included in many important public and private collections including The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, The Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, DC, Denver Museum of Art, Denver, CO, Detroit Institute of Art, Denver, CO, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.
- Creator:Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930, American)
- Creation Year:1957
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1745216387742
Richard Anuszkiewicz
“I’m interested,” Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930–2020) once said, “in making something romantic out of a very, very mechanistic geometry.” Anuszkiewicz sought to achieve this romance through works juxtaposing vibrant colors in geometric configurations. The perceptual effects he created helped define the American Op art movement.
Anuszkiewicz studied color theory at Yale under Josef Albers and was greatly influenced by Albers’s approach. “The image in my work has always been determined by what I wanted the color to do,” Anuszkiewicz explained in a 1974 catalogue. “Color function becomes my subject matter, and its performance is my painting.”
He departed from his mentor, however, in the pulsating, illusory qualities he gave his work. One of his most famous paintings, Deep Magenta Square (1978), although similar in composition to Albers’s “Homage to the Square” series, is distinctly Op art in the way the striations surrounding the central square seem to vibrate and jump off the canvas.
Anuszkiewicz spent his entire career exploring optical effects through the manipulation of line and color, producing spectacular and timeless pieces of art. “Working with basic ideas will always be exciting,” he said in 1977. “And if a color or form is visually exciting in any profound sense, it will be that way in 10 or 20 years from now.”
Browse a variety of paintings and prints by Richard Anuszkiewicz at 1stDibs.
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2007
1stDibs seller since 2022
422 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: New York, NY
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllUnique signed gouache on linen painting (Framed) by renowned Provincetown artist
Located in New York, NY
James Balla
Untitled gouache painting, 1992
Mixed Media Oil on Linen
Signed and dated on the front of the work; the verso of the frame bears the UFO (Albert Merola) gallery label.
F...
Category
1990s Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Oil, Gouache, Pencil
Abstract Mixed Media environmental art collage Andre Emmerich Gallery, Signed
By Judy Pfaff
Located in New York, NY
Judy Pfaff
Untitled, 1994
Collage, Mixed media, Gouache and Leaves on paper, in Artist's Frame. Signed with Andre Emmerich & Bellas Artes Gallery Labels - accompanied by original shi...
Category
1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media, Gouache
Play of Angels, unique signed watercolor & gouache color field painting Framed
By Jules Olitski
Located in New York, NY
Jules Olitski
Play of Angels, 2000
Watercolor and gouache on all-rag paper
Signed and dated 2000 by the artist on the front
Frame included (elegantly floated and framed in light wood...
Category
Early 2000s Color-Field Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache, Rag Paper, Permanent Marker
Intersecting Magic Square
By Charmion von Wiegand
Located in New York, NY
Charmion von Wiegand
Intersecting Magic Square, ca. 1963
Gouache on paperboard
Signed and titled on the back of the artwork. The signature shown on the frame back is a photo of the actual signature on the artwork itself.
Frame Included: elegantly floated and framed in hand made white wood museum frame with UV plexiglass
This work is signed and titled on the back of the artwork itself. The signature shown on the back of the frame is a photo of the actual signature, since the actual pencil signature and title is on the artwork itself, which can't be seen within the frame
Measurements:
Frame:
21 x 17 x 1.5 inches
Artwork:
18 x 14.25 inches
The Estate of the celebrated artist Charmion Von Wiegand has been represented exclusively by Michael Rosenfeld...
Category
1960s Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Pencil
Study #26, 1960s Gouache painting Signed Framed Pace & Hudson Gallery provenance
By Jack Youngerman
Located in New York, NY
Jack Youngerman
Untitled Study #26, 1967
Gouache painting on paper (with original JL Hudson and PACE Gallery labels)
Hand signed and dated '67 on the front; J.L. Hudson Gallery Label on Verso.
Unique Abstract Expressionist work on paper
Frame included
Framed
Measurements:
Framed:
15 inches by 15 inches by 1.5 inch
Artwork:
7.75 inches by 7.5 inches
Provenance
From the estate of Anne Markley Spivak
J. L. Hudson Gallery Label affixed to verso (back).
The J.L. Hudson Gallery, Detroit, Michigan
This 1967 unique, signed gouache painting by renowned abstract expressionist painter Jack Youngerman was acquired from the estate of Anne Markley Spivak. It is held in the original vintage metal frame with the original J.L. Hudson Gallery label, as well as the PACE gallery label on the verso
The artwork has been newly loated and framed in a museum quality white wood frame; the original labels from the original back board have been affixed to the back to preserve provenance.
Jack Youngerman Biography
Jack Youngerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 25, 1926. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 1929 and studied at the University of Missouri, Columbia from 1944 to 1946 under a wartime navy training program. He graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1947 and, that same year, he returned to Missouri to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism before moving to Paris on a G.I. scholarship.
In Paris, Youngerman enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, studying drawing with Jean Souverbie. He explored Paris, taking in the cathedrals, museums, and history in order to grasp a greater sense of art history. He also traveled to the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Greece on fine art excursions.
In 1948, Youngerman became friends with Ellsworth Kelly, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Cesar – fellow students at Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He married Delphine Seyrig in 1950, and later that year he had his first group exhibition at Galerie Maeght in Paris. He visited the studios of Constantín Brancusi and Jean Arp and became heavily influenced by the organic forms present in their work. He also met artist Alexander Calder through his father-in-law, Henri Seyrig, and experimental filmmaker and artist, Robert Breer...
Category
1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Gouache
Tepoztlan II unique signed framed work on paper by renowned artist Joyce Kozloff
By Joyce Kozloff
Located in New York, NY
Joyce Kozloff
Tepoztlan II, 1973
Gouache and colored pencil on paper
Signed, dated and titled twice: once on the back of the work (shown) and once on the original board which has bee...
Category
1970s Conceptual Abstract Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Color Pencil
You May Also Like
Indian Ocean II
By Perry Burns
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist's Statement: My paintings are an attempt to synthesize and enlighten pursuits of eastern and western art and their traditions. Using the full visual language of abstraction – ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Pigment, Mixed Media
Isthme (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Isthme (Abstract painting)
Collage, acrylic and gouache on Canson paper — Unframed
Marie de Lignerolles is an artist, designer, illustrator and c...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Gouache
Interconnections - colorful, contemporary, geometric abstract, paper collage
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This bold contemporary composition by Yvonne Lammerich is an intriguing exploration of colour and form. Origami-like folded shapes inter-connected by fine lines dance across this col...
Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Gouache, Color Pencil
Brutalist Op Art Abstract Charcoal Drawing by Dordevic Miodrag
Located in Atlanta, GA
Serbian artist Dordevic (or Djordjevic) Miodrag (1936 -), known as "Miodrag," designed this stunning abstract drawing. This work is a charcoal on paper depicting a brutalist abstract...
Category
1960s Op Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Original 1940s Retrofuturism Gouache Painting 'Birth of Mind' in Black & White
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
This vintage 1940s gouache painting, titled Birth of Mind, is a striking example of retrofuturism by Charles Ragland Bunnell, a prominent artist from the Broadmoor Academy...
Category
1940s Futurist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache
"Desert Days", Southwestern Geometric Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Bright, monochromatic abstract in warm, glowing desert tones by Marianne K. Brown (American, 1928-2019), 2000. The free flowing color field background is accented with areas of patterns evoking the Southwest. Signed "Marianne K. Brown" in the lower right and was acquired with a collection of Brown's work. Title "Desert Days" and date 2000 are written on verso. No frame.
Marianne K. Brown (American, 1928-2019) has taught watercolor and design for thirty years. Her work has been shown in many art magazines, including Watercolor Magic and The International Artist Magazine, and several books on watercolor painting. She was elected secretary of Orange County Art Association in 1964. Listed in the National Watercolor Society.
Author, Watercolor by Design
Member, East Bay Watercolor Society
1964 - 3rd Place, non-figurative exhibit of Orange County Art Association
1978 - Honorable Mention, Central California Art...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Get to Know the Artists Who Led the Op Art Movement
In the 1960s and '70s, the hypnotic creations of Op artists went mainstream and influenced the look of pop culture.
Welcome (Back) to the Wild, Wonderful World of Walasse Ting
Americans are rediscovering the globe-trotting painter and poet, who was connected to all sorts of art movements across a long and varied career.