- Wotan
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In the early 1950s, Franz Kline began paring down his paintings, purging them of all color and representational references. Wotan is one of his most austere compositions, focused simply on the stark contrast between his black brushstrokes and their white background. Kline insisted that all areas of his canvases were equal in weight: “I paint the white as well as the black, and the white is just as important.”
This iconic image records the power of the artist's vision and the authority of his gesture. The title, Wotan, refers to a Germanic deity of the pre-Christian era. A king of the gods, Wotan could also assume the role of wanderer, seer, and poet. Additionally, Wotan was a central character in Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle operas, which Kline often listened to in the art studio. For Kline, the title is not intended to describe the character of his painting; rather, by summoning up a mythic past, Kline claims a similar timelessness for his bold and revolutionary work.
ProvenanceThe artist; Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Scull, New York, by 1963; [Sotheby Parke Bernet, Sale October 28, 1973, lot 20]; [M. Knoedler & Company Inc., New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1980.
Exhibition History"Franz Kline," Egan Gallery, New York, October 16–November 4, 1950.
"Franz Kline: A Retrospective Exhibition," The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Museo Civico di Torino, Turin, Italy; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels; Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland; Museum de Jahrhunderts, Vienna; Whitechapel Gallery, London; Musée d' Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, September 20, 1963–September 30, 1964.
"1945-1954," Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York, 1966.
"Franz Kline 1910–1962," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, October 1–November 24, 1968.
"New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940–1970," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, October 16, 1969–February 1, 1970.
"Modern American Paintings: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," the Pinacotheque National Musee Alexandre Soutzos, Athens, Greene, September 20–November 7, 1982.
"Franz Kline in Retrospective" or "The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline," Cincinnati Art Museum, November 27, 1985–March 2, 1986.
"Direction and Diversity: Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 21–September 4, 1988.
"Franz Kline: Black & White 1950 -1961," The Menil Collection, Houston, September 8–November 27, 1994; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 16, 1994–March 5, 1995; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, March 25–June 4, 1995.
"Modern and Contemporary Art: Spotlight on the Collection," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 7–August 27, 2000.
"Art at Midcentury: Spotlight on the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, April 13–September 3, 2001.
"Contemporary Art and Photography: Spotlight on the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 30, 2001–February 3, 2002.
"Modern and Contemporary Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 2007–March 2, 2008.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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