Arshile Gorky
Composition

Composition

© The Arshile Gorky Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Composition
Composition
ArtistAmerican, born in Khorkom, Van Province, Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), c.1904–1948
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Composition
Date1937
PlaceUnited States
MediumEnamel on canvas
Dimensions29 1/8 × 39 7/8 in. (73.9 × 101.3 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Caroline Wiess Law
Object number2004.18
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
American Art
Object Type
ProvenanceEstate of artist; Private collection; [Gagosian Gallery, New York, 1999]; purchased by Caroline Wiess Law, Houston, 1999; bequeathed to MFAH, 2004.
Exhibition History"Loan Exhibition of Arshile Gorky," San Francisco Museum of Art, 1941.

"Paintings by Arshile Gorky from 1929 to 1948," Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1962.

"Tenth Anniversary of the East Building," National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC., June 1988–December 1990.

"Arshile Gorky, Paintings and Drawings 1929-1942," Gagosian Gallery, New York, 1998.

"A Spirited Vision: Highlights of the Bequest of Caroline Wiess Law to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 22–April 25, 2004.

"Acquisitions of the Last Five Years: Selections of Modern and Contemporary Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 15–October 15, 2005.

"Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective," Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 20, 2009–January 10, 2010; Tate Modern, London, February 10–May 3, 2010; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, June 6–September 20, 2010.

"American Made: 250 Years of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, July 7, 2012–January 2, 2013.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Back labels:
"SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF ART... / NO. 376.14"
"GAGOSIAN GALLERY... / NEW YORK"
"National Gallery of Art... / Exhibition: TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EAST BLDG. / Lender: Gorky Estate, c/o Ms. June Gunther"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia
Arshile Gorky
c. 1933–1934
Oil on canvas mounted onto panel
2005.1157
Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia
Arshile Gorky
1931
Ink on wove paper
2004.17
Untitled
Arshile Gorky
no date
Pen and ink on paper
2000.90
Virginia—Summer
Arshile Gorky
1946
Graphite and crayon on laid paper
92.424
Composition VI
Patrick Henry Bruce
1916
Oil on canvas
79.69
Overall Composition
Jackson Pollock
1934–1938
Oil on canvas
96.1759
Composition with Figures and Banners
Jackson Pollock
c. 1934–1938
Oil on canvas
96.1761
Learning to Roll
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1998
Enamel and spray enamel on canvas
2003.698
Circle and Parts on a Central Column
David Smith
1959
Spray enamel and oil on canvas
96.764
64 Pounds of Grey
Salvatore Scarpitta
1964–1965
Enamel and plasticized canvas
2007.673
Sperm Rush
David McGee
1994
Oil and enamel on newsprint on canvas
94.107
Re-bound
John Pomara
1997
Oil, enamel, and Verathane on canvas
2007.1505