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King of the Hill
King of the Hill
© Grace Hartigan Estate, used with permission.

King of the Hill

Artist (American, 1922–2008)
Date1950
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 170.8 x 121.9 cm (67 1/4 x 48 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineSarah C. Garver Fund
Object number1971.114
Label TextIn this canvas, Grace Hartigan isolated color relationships from any attempt at representation or symbolism. Interweaving swirls of pigment dance rhythmically—now slower, now faster—in every direction, appearing to flow right off the edges of the canvas. In a journal entry about King of the Hill having an identity of its own from the very beginning, Grace Hartigan wrote, “I worked for months on a feeling of red, pink, and yellow. And when it was resolved it was without intellectualization, it was like a trance state.” This trust in her instincts characterized her method of working and living throughout her career. Although critically acclaimed for her abstractions, by 1952 Hartigan began to apply her gestural style to figurative elements drawn from popular culture. ProvenanceTibor de Nagy Gallery, Inc., New York NY
On View
On view
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