?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
KIMBER SMITH Untitled.
Oil on board, 1952. 302x227 mm; 11 7/8x9 inches. Signed and dated in oil and crayon, verso.
Ex-collection private collection, New York.
Smith (1933-1981), a native to Boston, studied at the Art Students League in New York and became part of the circle of second generation Abstract Expressionists, counting as close friends fellow artists Joan Mitchell (1925-1992, see lot 51) and Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011, see lots 54-57, lot 199 and lot 200). Smith's style resembles Frankenthaler's color field paintings and relies on floating, simple forms and color theory. His abstractions were described as 'lyrical,' often giving a sense of tranquility.
Smith's first exhibition was alongside Joan Mitchell at the New Gallery in New York and he continued to exhibit in the U.S. through the 1950s before moving to Paris following his wife's correspondent assignment with Life magazine. Paris' ex-patriate community of artists, including Sam Francis (1923-1994, see lots 66-70) welcomed Smith and he exhibited widely through Europe. The Smiths returned to New York in 1966, where the artist started to experiment with new media, including spray paint. Smith's work has received renewed interest in recent years and his works are represented in permanent collections at institutions internationally.
