- Penumbra
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Adolph Gottlieb was one of the foremost proponents of Abstract Expressionism. Like many artists of his generation, in the 1930s he participated in the U.S. government's WPA Federal Art Project. Influenced by the émigré Surrealists who sought refuge in New York during World War II, Gottlieb explored a new abstract language, one loaded with mystical and mythological content.
In the mid-1950s Gottlieb began to oppose closed and open forms, a motif that evolved into the famous Bursts that many view as the culmination of his career. Gottlieb reduced his composition to two essential components: a radiant red circle floating above a lively maze of large black brushstrokes. The rival forms one serene and heavenly, the other turbulent and expressive have been seen to represent essential pairs such as order and chaos, female and male, or heaven and earth.
ProvenanceBy inheritance to the artist's wife, Esther Gottlieb, New York, until d. 1988; [Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, New York, November 1988–December 1992]; sold through [M. Knoedler & Company, New York]; purchased by Caroline Wiess Law, Houston, December 1992, until d. 2003; bequeathed to MFAH, 2004.
Exhibition HistoryFrench & Co. Gallery, New York, January 1960.
Galerie Neufville, Paris, late 1960.
"Modern and Contemporary Art: Spotlight on the Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 7–August 27, 2000.
"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.
"Color into Light: Selections from the MFAH Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 13, 2008–March 22, 2009.
"Art Across America," National Museum of Korea, Seoul, February 4–May 19, 2013; Daejeon Museum of Art, Korea, June 17–September 1, 2013.
"America: Painting a Nation," Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, November 8, 2013–February 9, 2014.
"Abstract Expressionism," Royal Academy of Arts, London, September 20, 2016–January 2, 2017; Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, February 2–June 4, 2017.
"The Marzio Years: Transforming the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1982–2010," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 25, 2020–January 10, 2021.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
"Adolph Gottlieb/ 90" x 72" 'PENUMBRA' / 1959 / 5924"
Marked on verso stretcher: "E7061 E7070"
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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