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Kenneth Noland“Untitled, c. 1958” Early Abstract Expressionist, Washington Color School OilCirca 1958
Circa 1958
$15,000
£11,422.18
€13,152.34
CA$21,256.32
A$22,864.21
CHF 12,219.30
MX$269,503.93
NOK 154,056.74
SEK 140,837.10
DKK 98,270.19
About the Item
About this work:
“Untitled, c. 1958” by Kenneth Noland (American, 1924-2010)
This early work by Kenneth Noland represents an important moment in his artistic evolution, bridging his early Abstract Expressionist influences with the emerging Color Field movement that would define his career. During this period, Noland was exploring new ways of applying paint, moving toward a more restrained yet powerful use of color and form. The gestural, atmospheric quality of this small yet expressive work reflects his engagement with post-war abstraction while hinting at the geometric precision that would later characterize his “target” paintings.
The piece features a soft, textured composition dominated by shades of white, gray, and black. The brushstrokes appear gestural, evoking a sense of organic movement, while the layered application of paint suggests depth and spontaneity. There are hints of blue and raw canvas within the otherwise muted palette, adding subtle visual interest. The painting’s subdued palette and layered textures suggest an experimental approach to composition, emphasizing the materiality of paint and the emotive potential of abstraction.
This painting comes from the estate of Alice Denney (1922-2023). Considered to be one of the most important figures of the Washington, D.C. art scene beginning in the late 1950s, Denney can be credited with introducing experimental post-war art to the nation’s capital. As one of the founding members of the Jefferson Place Gallery in 1957, Denney played a pivotal role in the early years of the Washington Color School, and works by Kenneth Noland, Thomas Downing and Gene Davis entered her collection. As the co-founder of the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in 1962, Denney’s curatorial influence continued to be innovative as she embraced the revolutionary developments of 1960s culture. Denney organized The Popular Image in 1963 at this museum, one of the earliest exhibitions of Pop Art in the United States, and was instrumental in recommending Alan Solomon to curate the 32nd Venice Biennale in 1964. A selection of works from Denney’s collection was sold at Sotheby’s in 2024.
This work is oil on canvas and is signed on the reverse. It is housed in its original, simple wood frame.
Size:
9 inches tall by 9 inches wide (painting)
9.75 inches tall by 9.75 inches wide by 1.5 inches deep (frame)
Provenance:
Estate of Alice Denney (1922-2023), Washington, D.C.;
Acquired from the above
About the artist:
Kenneth Noland was born in Asheville, NC in 1924. Interested in painting since he was 14, he enrolled at Black Mountain College, just 15 minutes from his hometown, after his requisite service in the Air Force ended in 1946. Well-known at the time as a collective-based, experimental program directed by the former Bauhaus teacher Josef Albers, the school was ideal for Noland and his brothers, all beneficiaries of the G.I. Bill who shared an interest in art, literature, and jazz. His two years of studies with Ilya Bolotowsky sealed his dedication to color and abstraction.
Noland had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Raymond Creuze in Paris after moving there in 1948 to study for a year with sculptor Ossip Zadkine. He then joined family in Washington, D.C. and started teaching at the now defunct Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). In 1950 he revisited Black Mountain College to participate in its legendary summer courses, and this period is when critic Clement Greenberg introduced him to Abstract Expressionism. After the ICA dissolved in 1951, Noland taught at the Catholic University of America until 1960 and led night courses at the Washington Workshop Center for the Arts. During this time, he formed important friendships with Morris Louis, a fellow workshop teacher, and the established sculptor David Smith, whom he met through his first wife, Cornelia Langer.
During a trip to New York in 1953, Noland and Louis visited Helen Frankenthaler's studio with Greenberg. Both artists returned home inspired by her technique of applying thin washes of color to unprimed canvas. In 1957 Noland had his first American solo exhibition at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York. Two years later, at the French
Company Gallery, also in New York, he exhibited his concentric circle paintings on square canvases. By 1960, after fully adapting the color-staining method to their own styles, Noland and Louis were identified as leaders of the Washington Color School. Greenberg championed their practices as exemplary of "post-painterly abstraction." When Louis died in 1962, Noland left Washington, D.C. and lived at the Chelsea Hotel, NYC for one year before moving to a farm in South Shaftsbury, VT. This move brought him closer to Smith, as well as to the community of abstract artists at nearby Bennington College, including the painter Jules Olitski and sculptor Anthony Caro.
Known first for his circle paintings, Noland became a defining Color Field painter by rhythmically exploring a wide range of acrylic hues in a visual language of chevrons, diamonds, horizontal bands, and plaid patterns on variously shaped canvases, one as wide as 7.3 meters. In his later work, Noland returned to painting centered, concentric orbs, but on a smaller scale with thicker layers of color.
Condition: Very good overall condition. Recently professionally cleaned. Staining to the back of the canvas consistent with Noland’s techniques. Original frame with wear and losses from age and handling. It is ready to be displayed and enjoyed!
All photographs are taken in a well-lit environment using studio lights (set to a cooler temperature) to reveal as much detail as possible. Colors can vary slightly depending on the temperature and strength of your lighting.
- Creator:Kenneth Noland (1924-2010, American)
- Creation Year:Circa 1958
- Dimensions:Height: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)Width: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Very good overall condition. Recently professionally cleaned. Staining to the back of the canvas consistent with Noland’s techniques. Original frame with wear and losses from age and handling. It is ready to be displayed and enjoyed!
- Gallery Location:Yardley, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2911217204192
Kenneth Noland
Kenneth Noland was an American painter. He was known as one of the best American color field painters, although in the 1950's he was thought of as an abstract expressionist and in the 1960's as a minimalist painter. He is most famously known for his target paintings. Noland also helped establish the Washington Color School movement.
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