In the late 1950s, Ellsworth Kelly emerged as a major figure in the vanguard of so-called "Hard Edge" New York abstraction. Noted for their articulate, sharply contoured planes, unified perspective, and shifting balances between foreground and background, Kelly's works expanded the language of both figuration and abstraction, establishing him as one of the leading postwar American artists. Earlier in his career, Kelly had spent six years in France, from 1948 to 1954, a time that proved decisive to the evolution of his art. Sponsored by the G. I. Bill, the artist closely studied contemporary and historical art, architecture and culture in Paris and various regions of France, as well as meeting with several other European and American artists. These were all critical stimuli at a time when Kelly was developing his distinct mature style. Published in connection with an exhibition co-organized by the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., this scintillating volume presents the first complete and accurate portrait of this pivotal stage in Kelly's career, drawing on previously unpublished work and observations by the artist. Excerpts from interviews and correspondence, and a chronicle of the artist's activities are included. The essays address the creative and interpretive issues of Kelly's work in relation to modern abstraction, his use of the "chance" and the modular grid, and the role of his photographs in recording motifs in nature. This volume reproduces for the first time all Kelly's paintings and low-relief sculpture of the period, as well as a selection of his earlier paintings done in New Jersey and Boston. A number of his photographs, drawings, sketchbooks, and collages are also featured. Comparative illustrations include portraits of his artist friends, photographs of Paris, and works by Matisse, Picasso, and others. Ironically, Kelly sold only one painting during his years in Paris although he participated in several avant-garde exhibitions. Yet the achievements of this period are recognized today as Kelly's first important works and have clearly established his international reputation.

Ellsworth Kelly: The Years in France, 1948-1954

Arts & Photography

Bois, Yve-Alain

Pacquement, Alfred

Cowart, Jack.

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Natl Gallery of Art

Jean-Pierre Raynaud: An Exhibition Organized by L'Association Francaise D'Action Artistique

Hopps, Walter

Menil Collection

FRANK STELLA ART CONTEMPORAIN

History & Criticism

Flammarion

Very good softcover, book is clean and tight.

Monumenta 2008: Richard Serra, Promenade Grand Palais

CENTRE POMPIDOU

David Hockney / Repères 169: The Yosemite suite

GALERIE LELONG

Ellsworth Kelly. Les Années françaises, 1948-1954

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume

This publication accompanies Richard Serra's (born 1938) pair of exhibitions in Qatar in 2014, at the QMA Gallery at Katara and the Alriwaq Doha exhibition space, as well as his permanent installations 7 and East-West/West-East, both commissioned by the Qatar Museums Authority. Instead of retracing Serra's career chronologically, as is usual in the artist's exhibition catalogues, this book comprises eight thematic chapters that do not aim to investigate all of his work. Rather, this organization facilitates a closer examination of the development of specific bodies of work and thereby a fresh understanding of Serra's overall oeuvre. Each chapter is built around the works shown at the QMA Gallery and Alriwaq Doha, as well as 7, installed in MIA Park in Doha in 2011, and East-West/West-East, installed in 2014 at a site chosen by the artist in the Brouq Nature Reserve near Zekreet.

Richard Serra

Steidl

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