Bio
Ellsworth Kelly was an influential American artist known for his abstract paintings, sculptures, and prints. He was born on May 31, 1923, in Newburgh, New York, and passed away on December 27, 2015, in Spencertown, New York. Kelly played a significant role in the development of abstract art in the 20th century and is celebrated for his use of bold colors, geometric shapes, and simplified forms.
Kelly served in the U.S. military during World War II before studying art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and later at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was during his time in Paris in the 1940s and 1950s that he was exposed to European avant-garde movements such as Surrealism and Dadaism, which influenced his artistic vision.
In the 1950s, Kelly began creating his iconic abstract paintings characterized by their flat fields of color, precise lines, and geometric shapes. He was particularly interested in exploring the relationships between color, form, and space, often drawing inspiration from observations of the natural world and everyday objects.
One of Kelly’s notable contributions to art was his exploration of the concept of “shape as content,” wherein the shape of the canvas itself became an integral part of the artwork. This approach challenged traditional notions of painting and paved the way for developments in Minimalism and Hard-edge painting.
In addition to his paintings, Kelly also created large-scale sculptures and public art installations, further extending his exploration of form and color into three-dimensional space.
Throughout his career, Ellsworth Kelly received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the arts, including the National Medal of Arts in 2012. His work continues to be celebrated and exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world, leaving a lasting legacy on the world of abstract art.