Ellsworth Kelly : a Retrospective
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/ellswoOOkell ELLSWORTH KELLY ELLSWORTH KELLY: A RETROSPECTIVE Edited by Diane Waldman GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM Guggenheim Foundation, ELLSWORTH KELLY: A RETROSPECTIVE ©1996 The Solomon R. New York. All rights reserved. Organized by Diane Waldman Kelly. All Ellsworth Kell) works ©1996 Ellsworth Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Used by permission. All rights reserved. October 18, 1996-January 15, 1997 ISBN 0-8 HN hS c>~-5 (hardcover) The Museum of ( ontemporary Vrt, I os Angeles ISBN 0-8920- 177-x (softcover) February 16-May is. 1997 Guggenheim Museum Publications rallery, L ondon 1D"1 Fifth Avenue |une 12-September 7, 1997 New York, New York 10 1 2* Haus der Kunst, Munich Hardeover edition distributed In November 1997-Januarj 1998 Harry N. Abr.ims, Inc. 100 Fifth Avenue Nev. York. Nev. York 10011 Design In Matsumoto Incorporated, New York Cover by Ellsworth Kelly Printed m Germany by C antz 10 Ellsworth Kelly Contents Diane Waldman 40 Ellsworth Kelly's Multipanel Paintings Roberta Bernstein 56 Ellsworth Kelly's Curves Carter Ratcliff 62 Experiencing Presence Mark Rosenthal oloi Kelly's "1 ine, Form and ( 66 At Play with Vision: Ellsworth Clare Bell 81 Painting and Sculpture 2 5 3 Works on Paper 3 1 3 Chronology 320 Exhibition History and Bibliography Josette Lamoureux 333 Index of Reproductions This exhibition is sponsored by HUGO BOSS provided by Significant additional support lias been The Riggio Family and Stephen and Nan Swid. part by grants from the 1 his project is supported in National Endowment tor the Arts and The Owen Cheatham Foundation. challenge, themselves tot art-those who allow an ... disturb, The rewards of art are for people who exert Sponsor's Statement rhis conviction has art becomes a laboratory of life and creativity, and stimulate then,. I 01 such people, the work of partnership with the Guggenheim Museum, and to promote led Hugo Boss to embark on its unrest into our lives, emerging and established artists who bring a productive artists, who have also supports exemplary exhibitions devoted to ma)or As a sponsor, I [ugo Boss for Modern art. earned their stature by pointing a way forward career in look at an American artist who began his This Ellsworth Kelt) retrospective is a complete .oniemporarv Like European art, earliei as as postwar Pans; there, he engaged in a d.alogue with ^11 I making .hem. B, has shown that traditions can be ma.ntamed onl, all great artists, however, he has given American abstract art a nevv uWnon an individual style ol abstraction, Kell, developmg Wadman and the tireless and devoted work of Diane full of admiration and gratitude for lam than tins the, have assembled more contributors. 1 or exhibition her team of colleagues and international on paper, and the than one hundred and fiftj works one hundred palming* and sculptures and more of a lifetime rk. thread to gu.de us through the labyrinth ZEZ* tha the, have produced provides a Dr. Peter Littmann Chairman and CEO Hugo Boss AC Anderson .... Mary Margaret , Harry W. and c ' * ,. LenaersI enders toiu the Exhibition ^ ^ [nstmite Qj Chicago Berardo Collection, Sintra Museum of Modern Arc, Lisbon Irving Blum, New York lima and Norman Braman Collection, The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Los Angeles Caldic Collection, Rotterdam Constance R. Caplan, Baltimore Douglas S. Cramer Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London Miles and Shirley Fiterman Robert H. Halff, Beverly Hills, California The Helman Collection, New York Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Kimmell, Ridgefield, Connecticut Franklin and Susanne Konigsberg, Los Angeles Sarah-Ann and Werner H. Kramarsky Janie C. Lee Gallery, Houston Los Angeles Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Stephen Mazoh The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Maryland Robert and Jane Meyerhoff, Phoenix, Musee de Grenoble Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego The Museum of Modern Art, New York Collection, The Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Dallas National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Jack Shear Stcdelijk Museum Amsterdam Illinois Dr. and Mrs. Paul Sternberg, Glencoe, Stephen and Nan Swid Tate Gallery, London Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Walker Art Center, Minneapolis York Whitney Museum of American Art, New Family Foundation, ( Jinny Williams Collection of Ginny Williams anonymous Private collectors who wish to remain Trustees Honorary Trustees in Perpetuity The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation ( fiovanni Agnelli Solomon R. Guggenheim Jon Imanol Azua Justin K. Thannhauser Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Peggy Guggenheim The Right Honorable 1 arl Stewart Chairman Castle Mary Sharp Cronson Peter Lawson-Johnston Carlo De Benedetti 1 >aniel Filipacchi President Robert M. Gardiner Ronald O. Perelman Rainer Heubach Barbara [onas Vice-Presidents David II. Koch Robert M. Gardiner Thomas Krens Wendy L-J. McNeil Peter I awson-Johnston Rolf-Dieter Leister Vice-President and Treasurer Peter B. 1 ewis Stephen C. Swid Wendy L-J. McNeil Edward II. Meyer Director Ronald O. Perelman Thomas Krens Richard A. Rifkind Demse Saul Secretary Rudolph B. Schulhol Edward F. Rover Terry Semel [ames B. Sherwood Honorary Trustee Raja Sidawi Claude Pompidou Seymour Slive Stephen C . Swid Trustee, Ex Officio [ohn S. Wadsworth, |r. [acques E. I ennon C ornel Wesi Michael 1. Wettach Director Emeritus [ohn Wilmerding Thomas M. Messer William 1. Ylvisaker unorthodox has been , tumultuous and mcreas.ngly Given that the curse of twentieth-centur, art Foreword artis, to devote his career and sensibilities, it is rare for an Odyssey into new styles, materials, techniques, has done, ver smc .1 approach to form, - Ellsworth Ke 1, to expToring the potential of a singular adhered to he power of pieces of abstrac. art, he has steadfastly ate 1940s when Kelly created his first unexpected realities. Fr meticulous ptn to communicate new and ris ancing th< disciplines or dogma. H,s contribution lies inJ"*^*^ad, convention a noet.es of vision unbounded by for longstanding, is to be thanked o*^««*^ *pecia.l, ^^ exhibition, and th :^*^^tf£32^"a * - the with .ugo fl. Out parmenhip , "'^tS^'SSK^ d hspensable for avering; -h-- re i unw ££»* Boss 5S£U ^—H , andls, 1 C ha.rman and < = of n,, Peter Littmann, ^ .^ ^ cooperation _ ^ ^ to considerabl) in our mission join aided ns P^™^™^ r resources and to have tosshare , K, then, our profound thank o - Mm century. We extend to h ^ - s-i«^-as;ssf-*^3 ' museum s eadmn. continuing support of the ^^ resources to dedicate sc much I artists are as willing o „ Not many ^ ( ^ m fan planning, and .mplem » a. no assist with the research, ^ of wor n w. P who have the peasure g , the has bee„. Those *--»-'"J throughou rs^masterpiece. Wright's .irJntcctur.il Thomas Krens Director Foundation The Solomon R. Guggenheim a d h.s work u. past exh.h ..on a, Ellsworth Kelly since 1968, have included , Although 1 have known Collages Prmts ,n .t Acknowledgments publication ... Ellsworth Kelly. Drawings, 71 v ked closely with hin, on the opportunity to work w.th him on h,s total that 1 have had the want until this retrospective survey color, form, and scale seem s.mp e, makes his unparalleled mastery of oJ vr to date. In his art, Kelly every piece. Havmg etnoyed he vArant the human passion that animates ;, , ki g us aware of the years, .Us a shared with me in conversion over rvn ons and acute insights that he has Th sculptures and works on " audtences the full range of pa ntings ; faTme to he able to present to .rele dedicated work. He has 1 five decades of thoughtful, at he has created during nearly ^ generous sp.n, have made ,t a this project, and his good humor and g,ven his -pp..,, and energy to ' e P who have given so freely of their time Tthanks to the many individuals Tw^° ht ;:^ deeply of this exhibition and catalogue. I am and who have thus contributed to the success and e Pmt are a great photographs of Kelly and his surroundmgs, which grateful to jack Shear, for his exquisite about Kelly s oeuvre. me the wealth of his knowledge addnn ore catalogue, and for sharing with attention to ,he-an, * the ' helpful. For their assistant have also been enormously S studio Hughes,M^NekJ and the exh.bmon, I thank Wanda and implementation of this publication planning have provid d and Ed Suman of Peter Carlson Enterprises Walters and Ian Berry. Peter Carlson installation ,nformat,on regarding the fabrication T ™ Kelly s works paper prepanng Williamstown Art Conservation Center, a.dedf^^SX^^m Conservator of Paper, f° r d'Offay and Matthew benefited from the involvement of Anthony '"I attoAankfu. to have important materials and nformat.on support of their staffs, have prov.ded Marks who with the Blum and and works on paper. The recollect,,,,, of Irving concert KeTly's paintings, sculptures, Helman have been an exceptional resource. Joseph ho, the., thoughthouehtfulttu are pass.onate about the.r subject, Pleasure to work with writers who It is a Mark Rosenthal, and Care Roberta Bernstein, Carter Ratcliff, I extend my thanks to c inlogue ess y of of Kelly's role m the development BdfXiHnS, and scholarship will further the understanding abstra m has been ta ^ «. d « ^o* ;:'::,:e ;::i, ^m T ast coordmated every Bashkoff, Curatorial Assistant, who exh m dccplv indebted to Tracey °of th,s in Curator, for e grateful to Clare Bell, Assent Exhibition an/catalogue. 1 am also P of thl- and Lamoureux, Exh.bit.on Ass.stant, tor her help contribution to the project, and to josette that she compiled.