Curve XXIV

Date1981

Maker Ellsworth Kelly American, 1923 - 2015

Ellsworth Kelly arrives at his work through a prolonged experience of observing nature and the distilling of observations and sensations to simple lines, planes and forms. Although its silhouette appears entirely abstract, Curve XXIV suggests a rust-hued autumn gingko leaf. The narrowest of relief sculptures, it projects and expansive space: its surface coloration and texture echo painting-a reflection of the artist's fascination with the overlap of these art forms.

Object number2016.17.2

Provenance[Leo Castelli Gallery, New York]; purchased from gallery by Virginia and Bagley Wright, Seattle, Washington, August 1, 1981

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

I'm not interested in the texture of a rock, but in its shadow.

Ellsworth Kelly

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park, 2007 - ongoing.Published ReferencesSims, Patterson and Emily Rauh Pulitzer. Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1982: cat. no. 61, pp 109. Fairbrother, Trevor. The Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 1999: illustrated inside front cover, 201. Corrin, Lisa Graziose, et al. Olympic Sculpture Park. Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 2007, illus. p. 47. Kangas, Matthew, "Sculpture", October 2007, Vol 26, No. 8.

Credit LineGift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

Dimensions76 x 228 x 3/8 in. (193 x 579.1 x 1 cm)

Medium3/8" weathering steel