Lithograph on J. B. Green cream wove paper, 1971. 716x1028 mm; 28 1/4x40 1/2 inches (sheet), full margins. Signed, dated and numbered 34/44 in pencil, lower margin. Printed by Hollander's Workshop, Inc., New York, with the blind stamp lower left. Published by Knoedler, New York, with the blind stamp lower right. A superb, richly-inked impression of this large, scarce lithograph.
This is the first lithograph that de Kooning (1904-1997, see lots 5-10) made with the master printer Irwin Hollander, who had trained at Tamarind Lithography Workshop in California and then opened a studio on East 10th Street in New York in 1964.
According to Hollander, "It was not until [de Kooning] returned from his trip to Japan that he responded to do a body of lithographs. Perhaps the seeing and feeling of calligraphy, sumi brush painting and Zen inspired him sufficiently to do prints. Whatever, the results were beautiful . . . We worked for a year together in 1970 and 1971, proofing 38 images, of which 24 were editioned." Graham 5.
