Kline is most well-known for his large-scale abstract paintings in black and white from the 1950s. Many of them began with small-scale drawings that the artist would make in ink on the pages of phone books or collage out of scraps in his studio (around 1948 he had seen Willem de Kooning enlarging his own sketches with a projector). For this diminutive but powerful work, the artist formed an elegent, calligraphic composition by collaging together small fragments of other drawings on a single card.
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the artist, New York (until d. 1962; his estate, New York, 1962–at least 1977; to McKee); David and Renee McKee, New York (until 2002; their gift to MMA)
New York. David McKee Gallery. "Franz Kline," March 1975, no. 23 (dated ca. 1952).
Binghamton. University Art Gallery, State University of New York. "Franz Kline: The Early Works as Signals," March 14–April 18, 1977, no. 97 (dated 1952; lent by the Kline Estate).
Purchase. Neuberger Museum, State University of New York. "Franz Kline: The Early Works as Signals," September 27–November 6, 1977, no. 97.
Cincinnati Art Museum. "The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline in Retrospect," November 27, 1985–March 2, 1986, no. 157 (dated about 1952, lent by a private collection, New York).
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline in Retrospect," April 17–June 9, 1986, no. 157.
Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline in Retrospect," June 27–September 28, 1986, no. 49 (dated about 1952, lent by a private collection, New York).
Barcelona. Fundació Joan Miró. "Mestres del collage: de Picasso à Rauschenberg," November 25, 2005–February 26, 2006, unnumbered cat. (p. 175).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Abstract Expressionist Drawings," November 1, 2007–February 24, 2008, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Paper Trails: Selected Works from the Collection, 1934–2001," July 19–November 27, 2011, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Street," March 5–May 27, 2013, no catalogue.
Harry F. Gaugh. The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline. Exh. cat., Cincinnati Art Museum. New York, 1985, p. 157, colorpl. 157.
Nan Rosenthal in "Recent Acquisitions. A Selection: 2002-2003." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 61 (Fall 2003), p. 50, ill.
Franz Kline (American, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 1910–1962 New York)
1953
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