Ruth Asawa (American, 1926-2013), Untitled (Three Hydrangeas), 1965, Color Lithograph
Ruth Asawa (American, 1926-2013) was a Japanese American sculptor and printmaker who also became an influential advocate for arts education. After her family was forcibly incarcerated during World War II, she studied at Black Mountain College, where Josef Albers's emphasis on material and direct experimentation helped shape her approach. She became best known for hanging wire sculptures formed from repeated loops, creating open structures in which interior and exterior remain visible at once. Her drawings and lithographs apply the same patient attention to contour, often concentrating on plants or ordinary objects observed at close range. Asawa later helped establish community arts programs in San Francisco and supported the creation of the city's public arts high school. Her work is held by the Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Untitled (TAM.1494, Three Hydrangeas), 1965, color lithograph from stone in red, green, and violet on German Etching paper by Ruth Asawa. The composition presents three loosely defined hydrangea clusters arranged across an open white field, their individual blossoms emerging through soft passages of violet, pink-red, and pale green, with areas of the flowers dissolving into the paper. The work was printed by Walter Gabrielson and published by the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, and is recorded as Tamarind catalogue no. 1494. It was issued in an edition of 20, with additional workshop proofs retained outside the numbered edition. This impression is inscribed in graphite "TAM IMP ASAWA" at lower left and bears the Tamarind and Gabrielson blindstamps at lower right; "TAM IMP" identifies an impression retained by the workshop outside the numbered edition. The verso is stamped "GERMAN ETCHING PAPER" and annotated "1494" in graphite. Sheet measures approximately 11 x 11 inches. The sheet shows light toning and minor handling, with old mounting tape remnants at the upper verso; image presents well. Provenance of Martin and Enid Gleich.
Condition
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Dimensions
11 x 11 in
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Ruth Asawa (American, 1926-2013) was a Japanese American sculptor and printmaker who also became an influential advocate for arts education. After her family was forcibly incarcerated during World War II, she studied at Black Mountain College, where Josef Albers's emphasis on material and direct experimentation helped shape her approach. She became best known for hanging wire sculptures formed from repeated loops, creating open structures in which interior and exterior remain visible at once. Her drawings and lithographs apply the same patient attention to contour, often concentrating on plants or ordinary objects observed at close range. Asawa later helped establish community arts programs in San Francisco and supported the creation of the city's public arts high school. Her work is held by the Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Untitled (TAM.1494, Three Hydrangeas), 1965, color lithograph from stone in red, green, and violet on German Etching paper by Ruth Asawa. The composition presents three loosely defined hydrangea clusters arranged across an open white field, their individual blossoms emerging through soft passages of violet, pink-red, and pale green, with areas of the flowers dissolving into the paper. The work was printed by Walter Gabrielson and published by the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, and is recorded as Tamarind catalogue no. 1494. It was issued in an edition of 20, with additional workshop proofs retained outside the numbered edition. This impression is inscribed in graphite "TAM IMP ASAWA" at lower left and bears the Tamarind and Gabrielson blindstamps at lower right; "TAM IMP" identifies an impression retained by the workshop outside the numbered edition. The verso is stamped "GERMAN ETCHING PAPER" and annotated "1494" in graphite. Sheet measures approximately 11 x 11 inches. The sheet shows light toning and minor handling, with old mounting tape remnants at the upper verso; image presents well. Provenance of Martin and Enid Gleich.
Condition
Please review the photos for a complete understanding of condition.
Dimensions
11 x 11 in
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
