Ellsworth Kelly
After graduation and a summer of hard work as a gandy dancer (a railroad crosstie installer), Kelly earned enough money to move to Paris in October 1948.
He enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts — to qualify for a GI stipend — but skipped most classes so he could roam the French capital and beyond to study local art and architecture.
For the first few months, Kelly continued to paint in a figurative style, with pieces reminiscent of Picasso and others.
Egyptian Woman, 1949
Mother and Child, 1949
Nude, 1949
But by 1949, he would begin to break free of those influences.
Plant I, 1949
Plant II, 1949
Window I, 1949
Kilometer Marker, 1949
Window II, 1949
Toilette, 1949
In November, 1949, during a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, he had a profound realization:
During his six years in Paris, Kelly explored concepts that would become key to the foundation of his artistic spirit.
Sketchbook pages from Paris, 1951-1953
He experimented with a variety of different modes of abstraction through drawing, collage, painting, sculpture, and even textiles.
Talmont, 1951
Untitled (Whites, Blacks, and Grays), 1951
Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance VIII, 1951
Light Reflection on Water, 1951
Just 5 Colors
Though Kelly struggled to gain recognition in the Paris art scene between 1949 and 1953, he created exploratory works that would prove central to the development of his artistic practice.
Window V, 1950
Gate-Board, 1950
Tennis Court, 1949
Méditerranée, 1962
La Combe II, 1951
Cité, 1951
Kelly scarcely knew anyone when he arrived in New York City.
Kelly with Colors for a Large Wall, Broad Street studio, New York, 1955
Black Curves, 1955
Yellow Curves, 1954
Delphine Seyrig and Ellsworth Kelly with Alexander Calder, Roxbury, Connecticut, 1957
Letter from Alexander (Sandy) Calder, 1954
Kelly with artworks and studies at his Broad Street studio, New York, 1956
Kelly, far left, with Betty Parsons and other artists, at her gallery, 1963
In July of 1956, Kelly moved to Coenties Slip, a three-block long stretch in lower Manhattan on the East River.
Jack Youngerman, Duncan Youngerman, Delphine Seyrig, Jerry Matthews, Dolores Matthews, Ellsworth Kelly, Lenore Tawney, and Robert Indiana, Coenties Slip, New York, 1958
Agnes Martin and Kelly, Coenties Slip, New York, 1958
Black Ripe Study, 1956
Lower Manhattan, 1975
Study for York, 1958
Untitled (Empire State Building), 1956
Beauty Contest, 1956
Columbus Circle, 1957
Seaweed (1), 1957
Study for Atlantic, 1956