Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Enrico Donati
"Aswan IV, " Enrico Donati, Surrealist Biomorphic Abstraction, Mid-Century

1984

About the Item

Enrico Donati Aswan IV, 1984 Signed, dated and inscribed as titled on the reverse Oil and sand on canvas 36 x 42 inches Provenance: Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer Gallery, New York Doyle, October 12, 2022 Enrico Donati, a surrealist and abstract expressionist painter, was born in Milan, Italy in 1909 and died in Manhattan on April 25, 2008. He was known for his association with the surrealist movement of the 1940's, but his artwork continued to transform itself through the many trends that have occurred during his long career. In Italy he attended the Universita degli Studi in Pavia where he studied economics. In 1934, he moved to the United States settling in New York where he studied at the New School for Social Research and the Art Students' League. Considered the surviving dean of the Surrealist Movement and a member of the New York School, Donati painted with Ernst, Matta and Tanguy in the thirties and forties, and in particular with Andre Breton, regarded by many to be the grand master of Surrealism. He helped organize the Exposition Internationale du Surrealisme in Paris in 1947 where he exhibited three of his pieces. The Surrealists were known to avoid presenting or representing reality, and put the emphasis on invention and creativity by uncovering the poetic aspect of life with its kaleidoscopic multidimensional images, using reality only to enhance imagination. Donati survived the decline of Surrealism in the late 1940's by adapting his style to current art trends as he worked with new materials and textures throughout the 1950's. One trend with which he became involved was Abstract Expressionism, which originated in the 1940s, and became popular in the 1950s. It was a movement in which artists typically applied paint, rapidly and with force, to large canvases, in an effort to show feelings and emotions. Paint might be applied with large brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it onto canvas. Abstract Expressionist work is characterized by a strong dependence on what appears to be accident and chance, although it is actually highly planned. Donati held a retrospective at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1961 and went on to exhibit at the Betty Parsons Gallery with other forerunners of American Abstract Expressionism: Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Jackson Pollock. It was at this time that Donati created some of his most inventive and extraordinary work, some of which was featured in a survey exhibition at the Alter & Gil Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, in January 2000. He has held many teaching positions and has been an active lecturer, while continuing to add to his artistic repertoire. From 1960 to 1962 he was a Visiting Lecturer at Yale University, and from 1962 to 1972 a Member of the Yale University Council for the Arts and Architecture. He has had seventy-five one-man shows, among them an exhibit of new paintings at the Maxwell Davidson Gallery (57th St., New York) in the fall of 1997. Donati's work is held in collections throughout the world, and his work has appeared in over 300 articles and publications, two hard cover books, and he has participated in several Biennials. Moving into his nineties, Donati worked almost every day. From his studio overlooking Central Park, he continued painting as he had done for almost six decades. Since his arrival in the Untied States in 1942, he has recorded the evolution of American art over the past sixty years, including the Surrealism of the 1940's, Abstract Expressionism, Native American symbols, and even Pop Art, all evoked in his knife or brush strokes.
  • Creator:
    Enrico Donati (1909 - 2008, American, Italian)
  • Creation Year:
    1984
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 42 in (106.68 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1841211755132

More From This Seller

View All
"Insiders Say Too Much is Enough" Lawrence Philp, Abstracted Surrealist Forms
Located in New York, NY
Lawrence Philp Insiders Say Too Much is Enough Signed lower left; titled on overlap Oil on canvas 70 x 59 1/2 inches Lawrence Philp, the son of Jamaican immigrants, studied at the ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Untitled" Gerome Kamrowski, circa 1944 American Surrealist Composition
By Gerome Kamrowski
Located in New York, NY
Gerome Kamrowski Untitled, circa 1944 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 35 3/4 inches x 47 3/4 inches Gerome Kamrowski was born in Warren, Minnesota, on January 19, 1914. In 1932 he...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Personal Equation" Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Surrealism, Black, Red, Blue, White
By Jimmy Ernst
Located in New York, NY
Jimmy Ernst Personal Equation, 1950 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 41 x 39 1/2 inches Provenance: Laurel Gallery, New York Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York Collection ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"El Innombrable" Fernando de Szyszlo, Red Mysticist Abstract Composition
By Fernando de Szyszlo
Located in New York, NY
Fernando de Szyszlo El Innombrable, 1980 Titled inscribed dated verso: Orrentia 1980 "El Innombrable" Signed lower bottom edge center "Szyszlo" Oil on canvas 59 1/2 x 59 inches Fernando de Szyszlo was a Peruvian painter...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Blue Fossil" Gerome Kamrowski, Abstract Surrealist, Biomorphic Expressionism
By Gerome Kamrowski
Located in New York, NY
Gerome Kamrowski Blue Fossil, 1960 Acrylic and styrofoam on board 17 x 46 inches Gerome Kamrowski was born in Warren, Minnesota, on January 19, 1914. In 1932 he enrolled in the Saint Paul School of Art (now Minnesota Museum of American Art - MMAA), where he studied with Leroy Turner...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Foam, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board

"Pink Garden" Gerome Kamrowski, American Surrealist 1947 Expressive Abstraction
By Gerome Kamrowski
Located in New York, NY
Gerome Kamrowski Pink Garden, 1947 Signed lower left Watercolor on paper 22 x 30 inches Gerome Kamrowski was born in Warren, Minnesota, on January 19, 1914. In 1932 he enrolled in ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

You May Also Like

'Vujá Dé, ' by Paul Micich, Acrylic and Alkyd on Canvas Painting, 2016
By Paul Micich
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 40" x 30" acrylic and alkyd on canvas painting, 'Vuja De,' by Paul Micich is from the artist's 'Paper Airplane' series. A headless black coat wearing ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Alkyd

Full Colors - Original Abstract Colorful Playful Painting
By Leonardo Aguirre
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Uruguayan artist Leonardo Aguirre creates visually animated surreal scenes in a theatrical environment. Aguirre rearranges whimsical components into unexpectedly harmonious ways of surreal settings that could only exist in an alternate dimension. The idea of a colorful atmosphere with everyday recognizable signs and elements allows the art aficionado to imagine scenes one day and discover another story the next day. His work is a post-constructivist style that has roots in the legacy school of Torres-García. This one-of-a-kind 39-inch high by 47-inch wide original artwork is stretched, wired, and ready to hang. The sides are painted. It does not require framing and is signed by the artist on the front of the artwork. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable U.S. and global shipping is available. Aguirre's architectural training is evident in his expert use of planes of color and precise brushwork to construct immersive, surreal environments that transport viewers to alternate dimensions. His whimsical rearrangement of everyday objects and recognizable signs creates unexpectedly harmonious settings that are visually stunning and emotionally evocative. Aguirre's artworks invite viewers to explore his mini-universes and discover new stories with each visit. Aguirre was born and lives in Montevideo, Uruguay. His works have been exhibited in Italy, Uruguay, Belgium, the UK, Argentina, Chicago, and Los Angeles. REPRESENTATION Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA EXHIBITIONS 2022 “Celebrating Latinx Artists”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2021 “Light On Your Feet”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2020 “Hidden Keyholes”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2018 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA 2017 Art for the People Gallery, Austin, Texas, USA 2016 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA 2015 Bohemian Art Gallery, Montevideo, Uruguay 2015 Rhizome Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2014 Chicago Art Space Gallery, Chicago, USA 2014 10 años Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2013 Chicago Art Space Gallery, Chicago, USA 2013 Galeria Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay 2012 Trifecta Gallery, “6191”, Las Vegas, USA 2011 Golf Club, Montevideo, Uruguay 2011 Colectiva Bolosano Arts Hotel Piazza Mazzini 35 2010 Castells Art Gallery, Montevideo, Uruguay 2010 Nuestro norte es el sur Venice, Italy 2010 Ristoranti Cultural Space “il Simposio”, Trento, Italy 2010 Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas, USA 2009 Mvd Art Gallery, The Famous Grouse, Montevideo, Uruguay 2009 Wallione de Bruxelles (Grand Place), Belgium 2009 Lido de Venezia Muestra Colectiva, Italy 2009 Agosto Torri del Benaco, Italy 2009 Palazzao della gran Guardia, Verona, Italy 2009 Museo Rawson, Pedro Meyer, Luis Camnitzer 2009 Lla Patagonia, Argentina 2009 Woburn Gallery Studios, United Kingdom 2008 Basilicata Collective Show, Italy 2007 100 Años Punta del Este...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Organic Mechanism 2014 colorful large abstract oil Surrealist oc Armenian Artist
By Vatche Geuvdjelian
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
"Organic Mechanism" Date: 2014-2015 Abstract oil painting on canvas (oc) Vatche is an Armenian artist living in Mexico. Artist’s Statement “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳�...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Midsummer Night’s Dreamers and Midsummer Ballet Suite diptych
By Gerard Tunney
Located in Deddington, GB
Midsummer Night’s Dreamers and Midsummer Ballet Suite diptych Overall size cm : H60 x W80 MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAMERS A dancer looks upwards towards the sun as her fellow dancers s...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mid Century Modernist Surreal Sunset Abstract Nude Woman Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist surreal landscape. Oil on canvas, circa 1981. Signed on verso. Image size 30L x 18H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The City is Scared - The Comet Covid-19- Original Oil Paint in Canvas - 2020
Located in Roma, IT
The city is Scared - The Comet Covid-19 is an original contemporary artwork by the emerging artist Mirtilla Durante. Mixed colored oil on canvas. Tit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All