Kimber Smith, Galerie Renee Ziegler (Hand signed and inscribed), ca. 1974

Kimber Smith (Hand signed and inscribed), ca. 1974

Offset Lithograph Poster. Hand Signed. Inscribed. Unframed.

22 3/8 × 14 7/8 in

56.8 × 37.8 cm

Kimber Smith is a leading American Abstract Expressionist artist who gained early fame in Europe where he befriended Joan Mitchell and Sam Francis when he moved to Paris. He later returned to the US, settling on Southampton. This print is from a Swiss exhibition in the mid 1970s at Galerie Ziegler in Zurich, which, by the way, still sells Smith's works. Kimber Smith signed in pencil and inscribed to his friend and Hampton's neighbor Dr. Alan York. It is extremely rare to find a print like this with an authentic signature and warm inscription by Kimber Smith, with such fine provenance - which makes this such a collectible piece. Optometrist Dr. Alan York of East Hampton a renowned art collector who befriended many of the artists in the area. In a tribute to Dr. York, the East Hampton star writes, "He counted among his patients the artist Willem de Kooning, with whom he spent hours discussing the old masters while watching him paint. Understanding how de Kooning painted helped him make glasses suitable for both his close-up and faraway work..." We don't know if York made Kimber Smith's glasses -- but we do know that he knew him personally, hence the warm inscription. Authenticity guaranteed. The inscription on the print reads:
"Greetings to Alan from Kimber"
Unframed.