Ellsworth Kelly, Drawing of Cyclamen III, and collage for Conques (Untitled), exhibited at the Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 1987

Ellsworth Kelly

Drawing of Cyclamen III, and collage for Conques (Untitled), exhibited at the Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, 1987

Graphite drawing, and mixed media collage on paper, with pencil annotations, (Two works, framed together)

Signed, warmly inscribed and dated "for Paul with thanks, Sept. 1987 Ellsworth Kelly" in graphite on the back, revealed in window of frame

Unique

Frame included

Signed, warmly inscribed and dated "for Paul with thanks, Sept. 1987 Ellsworth Kelly" in graphite pencil on the back, revealed in window of frame
Provenance:
Gift of Ellsworth Kelly to Paul Anbinder, Founder of Hudson Hills Press, and publisher of the Ellsworth Kelly catalogue raisonne
Exhibition history
Cornell University Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY, April 5 - June 15, 1997.
An extraordinary set of two unique works comprising one piece in two parts: an original flower drawing done on graphite pencil and mixed media black and white collage is special not only because of its exceptional provenance (gifted by the artist to his publisher), but because these works are the original, annotated jacket designs for the front and back covers of one of Kelly's most iconic and well known publications, the first edition of the catalogue raisonne of his graphic works. The works feature Ellsworth Kelly’s handwritten title and instructions in graphite pencil. Both works were a gift of gratitude by the artist to Paul Anbinder, the founder and owner of Hudson Hills Press, a renowned fine art publisher, which published many monographs of famous artists including Ellsworth Kelly, Hans Hofmann, Jim Dine, sculptors Manuel Neri and Isaac Witkin among many other visual artists.
In 1997, this two part work was exhibited at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Cornell University.
"Characterized by an extreme economy of means, the works that comprise Ellsworth Kelly’s highly-regarded practice reveal the artist’s keen interest in formal issues such as ground/foreground, planarity, shape, and line. This particular drawing is uniquely notable both as a brilliant juxtaposition of naturalistic plant drawing and hard edged abstraction, and also as the maquette for the cover of the original catalogue raisonné of Kelly’s prints. Combining hand-drawn reinvestigations of two prints, Cyclamen III and Conques, which are both actually reinterpretations of an earlier drawing and painting respectively, Untitled from 1987 is both a fully realized object in its own right and a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most important American artists of the post-war era." —Courtesy of Phillips
Elegantly framed in a wood frame under UV plexiglass, with a die-cut plexiglass window in the back to reveal the artists' inscription and signature.
Measures 14" x 21-1/2"
Frame measures 20-1/2" x 28-1/2".
Verso of frame bears the exhibition label from the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.
Provenance:
Gift of Ellsworth Kelly to Paul Anbinder, Founder of Hudson Hills Press, and publisher of the Ellsworth Kelly catalogue raisonne