MORRIS GRAVES (1910 2001) Floral Arrangement

Sale 2678 - Lot 112

Price Realized: $ 8,125

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 8,000 - $ 12,000

MORRIS GRAVES (1910-2001)
Floral Arrangement.

Ink, and tempera on Japan paper, 1957. 345x225 mm; 13⅝x8⅞ inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower right.

Provenance
Private collection, New York.

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Additional Details

Morris Graves was born into a large family in Fox Valley, Oregon. As a teenager, Graves and an older brother traveled to Asia and the South Pacific, including Tokyo, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Traveling made an impression on Graves, and his memories and spiritual experiences would influence his work for the rest of his career. Graves' introduction to Zen Buddhism, after his studio was destroyed by fire in 1935, also changed the way he approached creativity.

In the spring of 1940, Graves resided on the small island of Fidalgo in the Puget Sound. Here, surrounded by the Pacific Northwest landscape, Graves found serenity in his isolation, and further explored his belief in oneness with nature and the significance of spiritual symbols. After finding success in a group exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1942, Graves' work was acquired by the Museum and by several private collections. His work from this time period offered a reflection and spiritual interpretation of World War II. Graves continued to travel after the war through the early 1950s. In 1954 he settled in Ireland, where his works became more lighthearted, as in the present lot, and he experimented with sculpture. Graves left Ireland in 1964 to return to the Pacific Northwest. In 1965 he purchased a large redwood forest property in California, from where he would be based for the rest of his career.