Enamel on masonite, circa 1969. 1016x762 mm; 40x30 inches. Signed in oil, lower right.
Provenance: Cory Gallery, San Francisco (with the label on the verso), private New York collection; thence by descent to the current owner.
An extraordinary painting by this important contemporary artist, David Hammons's untitled abstraction presents a seldom-seen side of his early work. Hammons creates a beautiful and organic composition in a swirling mixture of enamel paint. Within the framework of minimal abstraction, the artist shows an early experimental use of material. This painting dates from the first years of his studies at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (1968 - 1972) before he began his more celebrated body art prints. Another Hammons enamel on masonite painting dated 1969 sold at Sotheby's on May 16, 2007; we have not located any other examples of his late '60s abstract painting.
