Thomas Downing, Abstract Bird Form

(District of Columbia, 1928-1985)

Composition on a yellow field, signed lower right "Downing", inscribed verso "For/Jeanette/#3", 21-1/2 x 32 in.; metal frame, 26-1/2 x 36-1/2 x 1 in.

Provenance: The artist; by descent in family

Note: Most noted for being a color field artist, Downing, experimented during his early years as he travelled in Europe in 1950 through 1951. He studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and became a studio assistant to Fernand Léger, a second generation cubist. As with earlier in New York, Downing visited museums and galleries.

Sources: The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina, thejohnsoncollection.org