Black Circle, 1963
ArtistAl Held,
New York
1928–2005
Todi
MediumAcrylic on oil paper; on hardboard
(H x W)48,3 × 60,7 cm
About the workAl Held, born in Brooklyn in 1928, studied art in New York City and Paris and was looking for an alternative to figurative painting, which was still predominant at the time. Traffic signs and billboards first inspired him to create clear forms and colours in 1959. Using acrylic paint allowed him to quickly apply several layers. In this way, the structure of the paint and its application remained visible. Held wanted to create a connection between the work and its surroundings. To do this, he arranged the shapes in such a way that they are cropped by the picture’s edge.
AccessionKemp Collection Foundation
Provenancen.d. Galerie Gunar (Günther Pooch), Düsseldorf; n.d. Klinker Collection, Bochum; February 1974 Willi Kemp (Cologne 1927 - 2020 Düsseldorf) acquired from Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf; 2011 Stiftung Sammlung Kemp im Kunstpalast acquired by gift of Willi Kemp
Inventory number0.mkp.2011.Kemp082
