Overview

A comprehensive survey of rarely seen collages from the master of abstraction Over the course of more than 50 years, renowned American artist Ellsworth Kelly made approximately 400 postcard collages, some of which served as exploratory musings and others as studies for larger works in other mediums. They range from his first monochrome in 1949 through his last postcard collages of crashing ocean waves, in 2005. Together, these works show an unbounded space of creative freedom and provide an important insight into the way Kelly saw, experienced and translated the world in his art. Many postcards illustrate specific places where he lived or visited, introducing biography and illuminating details that make these pieces unique among his broader artistic production. Ellsworth Kelly: Postcards is the most extensive publication of Kelly’s lifelong practice of collaged postcards. Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015) was born in Newburgh, New York. In 1948 he moved to France, where he came into contact with a wide range of classical and modern art. He returned to New York in 1954 and two years later had his first exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, organized his first retrospective in 1973. Subsequent exhibitions have been held at museums around the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Tate in London, Haus der Kunst in Munich and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

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9781636810096

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The postcards reflect, but at a tangent, Kelly's lifelong aspiration toward abstract seeing--a program, more than a predisposition, to become what Cezanne called Monet: only an eye, but what an eye! The collages help teach how to see the paintings, and the paintings help teach how to see the collages.--Barry Schwabsky Bookforum Exhibits Kelly in his unbound creativity -- showcasing the imaginative ways in which saw and re-envisioned the world. Much of this work was kept from the public and was sent to family and friends over a 50-year span.--Shawn Ghassemitari Hypebeast The spirit of playful improvisation is up front in these works, their range of figural and genre references experimental in spirit, their facture seemingly unlabored (sometimes downright scrappy). Delightful in themselves, they compel reconsideration of the late, great artist's more austere, visually refined abstractions with an awareness of both his sense of humor and his sense of place.--Stephen Maine Hyperallergic

His postcards contain the surprise of a well-delivered punchline: interruptions in otherwise stale depictions of beauty. -- Rebecca Bengal * Paris Review * The postcards reflect, but at a tangent, Kelly’s lifelong aspiration toward abstract seeing—a program, more than a predisposition, to become what Cézanne called Monet: only an eye, but what an eye! The collages help teach how to see the paintings, and the paintings help teach how to see the collages. -- Barry Schwabsky * Bookforum * Exhibits Kelly in his unbound creativity — showcasing the imaginative ways in which saw and re-envisioned the world. Much of this work was kept from the public and was sent to family and friends over a 50-year span. -- Shawn Ghassemitari * Hypebeast * The spirit of playful improvisation is up front in these works, their range of figural and genre references experimental in spirit, their facture seemingly unlabored (sometimes downright scrappy). Delightful in themselves, they compel reconsideration of the late, great artist’s more austere, visually refined abstractions with an awareness of both his sense of humor and his sense of place. -- Stephen Maine * Hyperallergic *

The spirit of playful improvisation is up front in these works, their range of figural and genre references experimental in spirit, their facture seemingly unlabored (sometimes downright scrappy). Delightful in themselves, they compel reconsideration of the late, great artist's more austere, visually refined abstractions with an awareness of both his sense of humor and his sense of place.--Stephen Maine Hyperallergic

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