Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Diana Kurz
"Clifford" Diana Kurz, 1961 Abstract Expressionist New York School Female Artist

1961

$20,000
£15,117.52
€17,372.72
CA$27,849.88
A$30,981.85
CHF 16,241.07
MX$378,590.61
NOK 206,809.79
SEK 194,682.81
DKK 129,680.76
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Diana Kurz Clifford, 1961 Signed and titled on verso Oil on canvas 55 x 50 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first to England and then to the United States. Kurz spent her childhood in Brooklyn and Queens, New York before earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Brandeis University (1957) and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting (1960) at Columbia University, where she studied with John Heliker, “one of the rare professors who encouraged his female students”, as Kurz later recalled. Kurz was awarded a Fulbright Grant that gave her the opportunity to live and paint in France (1965–66), where Jean Hélion became a mentor. While there, she began to paint still life compositions that incorporated both living and inanimate objects, such as vases, bowls, and porcelain figures combined with flowers and vegetables; this was Kurz’s first attempt to merge images of impermanence with ones of deeper historical relevance. After returning from France, Kurz turned to figural compositions, which had interested her since 1963. In 1968 and 1969 while at Yaddo residencies, she became close with Philip Guston, one of her idols. In the early 1970s, Kurz began painting nude figures in her SoHo studio, from direct observation, often using mirrors to reflect fragments of their bodies, as in Rosaire at Window (1972). At the same time, she was responding intuitively to color and using numerous hues in her paintings. She was influenced by Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse, and was more concerned with creating a compelling composition than addressing spatial illusions. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kurz painted studio models and portraits, often in a drawing group which included Lois Dodd, Mercedes Matter, and Philip Pearlstein. In 1981, she began an extensive exploration of still life in which she focused on arrangements of commercially produced ceramic objects, which she purchased inexpensively and chose for their lack of traditional aesthetic value. Since the late 1960s, Kurz has identified as a feminist. She participated in the Women’s March for Peace (Jeannette Rankin Brigade) in Washington, D.C., in 1968 and joined the Women's Caucus for Art in 1972. She also exhibited in all-women and feminist shows, including First Open Show of Feminist Art (1971) in New York City. She was one of thirteen contributors to The Sister Chapel, a collaborative feminist installation that celebrated female role models. Kurz painted Durga (1977), for which she painstakingly studied numerous Indian examples and an actual devotee of the Hindu goddess, but retained her own distinctive painting technique. In the early 1960s, Kurz had begun to study Chinese and Japanese philosophy, as well as Eastern religion, which had a lasting influence on her approach to life and art. Between 1989 and 2003, Kurz created Remembrance (Holocaust), a series of paintings that memorialized the members of her family murdered in the Holocaust. The large, over life-size figures were inspired by old photographs, which Kurz saw in the possession of an elderly aunt who lived in California. Instead of merely enlarging the black-and-white photographs, Kurz used her imagination to embellish them and incorporated text, letters, and other media. She used bright colors because, as she explained, “I was often struck by the irony of the fact that terrible, unspeakable things occurred while the sky was blue, the weather beautiful, birds singing, etc.” In Self-Portrait (1999), Kurz appears to stand in front of Vienna, another painting from the series. She leans with her elbows resting on a table, as if physically in the same space—for the first time—as those of her diseased relatives. As observed by Evelyn Torton Beck, Kurz’s “philosophy of painting closely parallels feminist theories of relationship and process: color is relational. Painting is very much about relationships.” In 1998, Kurz exhibited a number of paintings from her Remembrance (Holocaust) series at the Bezirksmuseum Josefstadt in her birthplace, Vienna.
  • Creator:
    Diana Kurz (1938, American, Austrian)
  • Creation Year:
    1961
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 55 in (139.7 cm)Width: 50 in (127 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    Unique WorkPrice: $20,000
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1841215710742

More From This Seller

View All
"Thelo #8" Diana Kurz, circa 1959 Abstract Expressionist Large Oil Painting
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Thelo #8, circa 1959 Signed lower left Signature and address on verso Oil on canvas 47 x 41 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, ...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Thelo #5" Diana Kurz, circa 1959 Gestural Abstract Expressionist Painting
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Thelo #5, circa 1959 Oil on canvas 22 x 20 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first to Englan...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Untitled" Diana Kurz, circa 1959 Abstract Expressionist Hans Hofmann Influence
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Untitled, circa 1959 Signed lower right Signature and address on verso Oil on canvas 42 x 38 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938,...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Study for TH" Diana Kurz, Mid-Century Push And Pull Abstract Expressionist Work
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Study for TH Pastel and gouache on paper 21 1/2 x 20 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Gouache

"OP #7" Diana Kurz, 1960-1961 Abstract Expressionist Vibrant Color Painting
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz OP #7, 1960-61 Signed, titled, dated on verso Oil on canvas 66 x 52 1/2 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family ...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Summer Joy" Diana Kurz, circa 1960 Abstract Expressionist Colorist Composition
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Summer Joy, circa 1960 Signed and titled on verso Oil on canvas 70 1/2 x 66 1/4 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

FORD, Original Signed Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Boston, MA
FORD, Original Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Painting, 2020 40" x 30" x 2" (HxWxD) Oil on Canvas Hand-signed by the artist. Framed with a 1/2" white wood frame. Working in the...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Huge French 20th Century Abstract Expression Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Marie Deloume (French born 1942) signed on back oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 24 x 20 inches condition: overall very good, a few...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil

"It's All I Ask Of You, " Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Dierdre Schanen
By Deirdre Schanen
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"It's All I Ask of You" is a contemporary abstract painting of oranges, blues and greens. Acrylic on canvas, 2016. The artist signed the painting on the verso. 36" x 54" canvas De...
Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

KUPFERMAN American Abstract 1959 Expressionist Painting
By Lawrence Kupferman
Located in New York, NY
Lawrence Kupferman (1909-1982) is an American Abstract painter and founder of the Boston Expressionist school. His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Mu...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

What Do I know of This Place 1 (Abstract Expressionist Painting on Canvas)
By Jenny Nelson
Located in Hudson, NY
Vertical, abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas in blue, stone blue, green and midnight blue, with pops of green, peach, and yellow on an off-white background 'What Do I know of This Place (1)' painted by Hudson Valley artist, Jenny Nelson, in 2021 Oil on canvas 20 x 16 x 2 inches, with white painted sides Excellent condition, ready to hang Signed, verso This vertical abstract expressionist oil painting was painted by Woodstock, NY based artist, Jenny Nelson, in 2021. The colorful abstract composition is completed in an expressionist style with loose and gestural brushstrokes in calming tones of stone blue, teal, and midnight blue. The contrasting patches of dusty yellow, peach, and green beautifully pop against the subtle pale beige-grey background. Color is applied in light layers which is noticeable in the faint yet visible under tones of the painting. The oil painting is unframed, with white painted sides so framing is optional. The artist's signature is located on the back of the painting. Artist Statement: My work has always been anchored in drawing. I spent years drawing and painting from life. This instilled a strong sense of space and structure. At some point I became more interested in the negative space surrounding the objects I was observing and modifying the objects themselves. I began to organically develop an abstract language, but the sense of structure and organization remained constant in the painting. I apply paint in layers using palette knives, brushes and oil sticks. I initially draw loose gestures and a variety of spontaneous marks. Often traces of previous layers remain visible, allowing colors to interact in ways I could not have anticipated. This process leaves me feeling quite lost a lot of the time, and I have had to learn to become comfortable with that feeling. This sometimes builds to frustration, and I will scrape off much of what was applied, but the result of doing this is often something wonderful that moves the painting forward. I view the painting process as a collaboration between myself and the materials. A conversation starts that has a beginning and an end, but everything in between is unpredictable. It seems at first some exciting things may show up but it’s important to disregard these first, too beautiful bursts, work over them, and develop something deeper from them. As the painting evolves, shapes and lines solidify, and I begin to see how the parts affect the whole. This way of layering, adding and subtracting, creates a history on the canvas. Shapes have a story to tell. Lines that have been obliterated and resurrected over and over again have an emotional charge. This process that started as a wild party ends up as a contemplative carefully edited composition, involving precise modifications, while hopefully leaving the life force in tact. About the artist: Jenny Nelson attended Maine College of Art in Portland Maine, and is a graduate of Bard College, where she received a scholarship to the Lacoste School of the Arts in France. She has been living in Woodstock, New York for nearly two decades, including a Residency at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony from November 2004-08. Jenny has been exhibiting for many years nationally and regionally. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS: Solo Shows: 2019 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY 2019 Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte NC 2018 Light Waves, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte NC 2017 New Works, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2016 Sailing in Place, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte NC 2013 Traveling Light, Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2012 New Work, Smink Modern, Dallas TX 2012 New Work, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2011 Awakenings (Duo with Keun Young Park) Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2010 New Paintings, Chace-Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2008 Autumn Elegance, Asher Neiman Gallery, Red Bank NJ 2008 The Light Between, Chace-Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2007 New Work, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2006 Of Line and Light, Chace-Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2006 Abstractions, Gallery 100, Saratoga NY 2005 Spring Collection, Coffey Gallery, Kingston NY 2005 New Work, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2004 Summer, Omega Institute, Rhinebeck NY 2004 New Work, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2003 Paintings from Shady, Coffey Gallery, Kingston NY 2001 Fisher Studio Art Gallery, Annandale-on-Hudson Group Exhibitions: 2018 20th Anniversary Show, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, NC 2017 Due East: Woodstock Artists in Nantucket, Nantucket Arts Center, Nantucket, MA 2017 Composition: The Abstract Landscape, Kleinert/James Gallery, Woodstock NY 2014 Women in Abstract, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte NC 2013 Hidell Brooks Anniversary Show, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, NC 2013 AD Boston Art Fair, Gold Gallery, Boston 2012 Contemporary Painters, Carrie Haddad Gallery Hudson, NY 2012 Featured Artist, Dragonfly Gallery, Martha's Vineyard, MA 2012 Tria Gallery Summer Exhibition, Manhattan, NY 2012 AAF NYC, Tria Gallery, Manhattan, NY 2011 Featured Artist, Dragonfly Gallery, Martha's Vineyard, MA 2011 AAF NYC, Tria Gallery, Manhattan, NY 2011 Figures and Abstractions, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2010 Art Hamptons, Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2010 Featured Artist, Dragonfly Gallery, Martha's Vineyard MA 2009 LA Art Fair, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto CA 2009 Curators Choice, Chace-Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2009 Instructors Exhibition, Woodstock School of Art, Woodstock NY 2009 Group Exhibition, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto CA 2009 Small Works, Anne Irwin Fine Art, Atlanta GA 2009 Winter White, Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2009 Contrasts, Anne Irwin Fine Art, Atlanta GA 2009 AAF NYC Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2008 Summer Cocktail, Tria Gallery, Manhattan NY 2008 5"x7" Show, Kleinart-James Gallery, Woodstock NY 2007 Faculty Plus One, Columbia Greene Community College, Hudson NY 2007 Art Basel Miami, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY 2007 One New Work, Chace-Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2007 5"x7" Show, Kleinart-James Gallery, Woodstock, NY 2006 Beach, Gallery Yellow, Cross River NY 2006 Flow, Kleinart/James Gallery, Woodstock, NY 2006 Group Exhibition, James Cox Gallery, Woodstock NY 2006 Collectors Choice, Kleinert/James Gallery, Woodstock NY 2005 Group Exhibition, Chace Randall Gallery, Andes NY 2005 Passionate About Art, Kleinert/James Gallery, Woodstock NY 2005 New Talent, Alpha Gallery, Boston MA 2004 Six Women Painters, Albert Shahinian Fine Art, Poughkeepsie NY 2004 New York Underground Art Fair, Pool Art Addict, Four Points Hotel NY 2003 Senate House Show, Kingston NY 2002 Group Exhibition, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY Juried Exhibitions: 2004 Woodstock Artists Association, Woodstock NY 2002 Hudson Valley Artists 2002, Samuel Dorsky Museum, New Paltz NY Selected Collections: Warren Bierwirth, Paris, France Cecilia Greene, New York NY Helen Chapman, New York NY Michael & Sheila Faharty, New York NY Christopher Dlutowski, New York NY Jim & Dianne Footlicke, New York NY Laurent Gaudry, New York NY Nancy Seigal, Boca Raton FL Holli Gersh, Boca Raton FL Kenneth & Margaret Uhle, Ridgefield CT Dr. Lee Sider, Mt. Tremper NY Friedrike Merck, Woodstock NY Weston & Julia Blelock, Woodstock NY Miller Howard Investments, Woodstock NY Kingston Hospital, Kingston NY Media: Jenny Nelson, Accidental Storyteller, Carrie Haddad Gallery, 2017 Jenny Nelson's chaos, Hudson Valley One, 2017 A Conversation with Artist Jenny Nelson,, Blog Talk Radio...
Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract Expressionist Gouache Painting by Sid Gross 1959
By Sidney Gross
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Abstract expressionist gouache painting by American artist, Sid Gross. Date: 1959 Gouache on paper, signed and dated lower right Image Size: 18.5 x 12 inches Frame Size: 28 x 22 ...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache