Close-Up II
Maker
(artist)
1913-1980
1913-1980
Title
Close-Up II
Date of Production
1959
Medium
oil paint on paper, mounted on board, mounted on masonite
Dimensions
Height: 59 cm
Width: 73.6 cm
Width: 73.6 cm
Accession Number
LP.2020.HK.2
Mode of Acquisition
Karshan Collection, long-term loan, 2020
Credit
Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The Courtauld Gallery
Copyright
© The Estate of Philip Guston, courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Location
Not currently on display
Label Text
In the 1950s, Philip Guston was considered a leading figure of Abstract Expressionism in the United States. Alongside his large paintings, he produced smaller works on paper, which allowed him to explore ideas swiftly and spontaneously. It is the case with this work, in which Guston used thick layers of paint to create roughly hewn blocks of colour against a formless
sea of grey. These elements create a dynamic tension, seemingly holding together — but only just. The title might be an invitation to look
closely or a suggestion that the composition is part of a larger whole.
sea of grey. These elements create a dynamic tension, seemingly holding together — but only just. The title might be an invitation to look
closely or a suggestion that the composition is part of a larger whole.
Provenance
Musa Mayer, New York; David McKee Gallery, New York; purchased there by Howard Karshan (1933-2017), February 1990 [invoice on file]; Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The Courtauld Gallery
Exhibition History
Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 19/11/2021-09/01/2022
Nothing and Everything: Seven Artists, 1947-62, Hauser and Wirth, New York, 01/02/2017-01/04/2017
Founders and Heirs of the New York School, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 25/01/1997-16/03/1997; Miyagi Museum of Art, Sendai, 05/04/1997-25/05/1997; Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki, 28/06/1997-03/08/1997 ...More
Philip Guston, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1962; Whitechapel Gallery, London, 1962; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 1962; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1962; Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1962
Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Dwan Gallery, Los Angeles, 03/04/1961-29/04/1961
29 Recent Paintings by Philip Guston, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 28/12/1959-23/01/1960 ...Less
Nothing and Everything: Seven Artists, 1947-62, Hauser and Wirth, New York, 01/02/2017-01/04/2017
Founders and Heirs of the New York School, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 25/01/1997-16/03/1997; Miyagi Museum of Art, Sendai, 05/04/1997-25/05/1997; Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki, 28/06/1997-03/08/1997 ...More
Philip Guston, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1962; Whitechapel Gallery, London, 1962; Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 1962; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1962; Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1962
Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Dwan Gallery, Los Angeles, 03/04/1961-29/04/1961
29 Recent Paintings by Philip Guston, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 28/12/1959-23/01/1960 ...Less
Literature
Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20 Nov. 2021 - 9 Jan. 2022
cat. no. 16
Fig. p. p. 91, detail on p. 92
cat. no. 16
Fig. p. p. 91, detail on p. 92
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermark: "STRATHMORE".
Inscription: Recto: lower right, oil paint, signed: "Philip Guston". Verso: upper left, oil paint, titled and dated: “PHILIP GUSTON / CLOSE-UP II 1959”.
Inscription: Recto: lower right, oil paint, signed: "Philip Guston". Verso: upper left, oil paint, titled and dated: “PHILIP GUSTON / CLOSE-UP II 1959”.
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