August Form
Maker
(artist)
1913-1980
1913-1980
Title
August Form
Date of Production
1964
Medium
oil paint on paper
Dimensions
Height: 58.1 cm
Width: 73.4 cm
Width: 73.4 cm
Accession Number
LP.2020.HK.3
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, London
Copyright
© The Estate of Philip Guston, courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Location
Not currently on display
Label Text
The mottled grey surface of this mesmerizing work was created by alternating strokes of white and black paint. It sits on an initial layer of warm reds and pinks, which shows through in places. Guston’s approach involved working his compositions until compelling abstract forms began to come through. Here, however, he found that what emerged was the partial shape of a head. Alongside others from the period, this work signalled Guston’s gradual move away from pure abstraction and his return to representation.
Provenance
Rebecca Reis, New York; Lerner-Heller Gallery, New York (sticker on back of painting); Acquired by Howard Karshan at Anonymous sale; Sotheby's New York, 11 November 1993, lot 304 (scan of catalogue on file); Promised gift by Linda Karshan in memory of her husband, Howard Karshan. On long-term loan to The Courtauld Gallery, London
Exhibition History
Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 19/11/2021-09/01/2022
Thinking Aloud, Camden Arts Centre, London, 09/04/1999-30/05/1999
Thinking Aloud, Camden Arts Centre, London, 09/04/1999-30/05/1999
Literature
Modern Drawings: The Karshan Gift, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20 Nov. 2021 - 9 Jan. 2022
cat. no. 17
Fig. p. p. 95
cat. no. 17
Fig. p. p. 95
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