Franz Kline

William H. Lane, Massachusetts
Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Poughkeepsie, Vassar College Art Gallery, Twentieth-Century American Paintings lent by the William H. Lane Foundation, March 1954
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Fort Worth, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, The Lane Collection : 20th-Century Paintings in the American Tradition, April 1983 - March 1984, cat. no. 95, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There are scattered areas of stable craquelure. There is a small 1/2 inch accretion in the lower portion of the lower right quadrant. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there is a 1/2 inch area of restoration apparent at the lower right corner. There are also a few very small areas of retouching near the right edge and some scattered thin horizontal lines of retouching near the upper edge of the canvas. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Turning towards abstraction in 1946-47, Franz Kline painted in multicolored planar abstraction before settling in to his black and white style in 1949-50.  Harry Gaugh points out that the 1946-1949 period of creation was defined by the use of planar compositions and prominent accents of yellows and greens (Exh. Cat., Cincinnati Art Museum, The Vital Gesture: Franz Kline, 1985, p. 81). The significance of Kline's works of the late 1940s is as undeniable as that of his Abstract Expressionist contemporaries such as de Kooning, Pollock, Newman and Rothko. The work, though psychologically captivating and visually seductive, remains elusive. With minimal references to figurative likenesses, fragmentary geometric shapes, free brushwork and calligraphic black strokes, Yellow Abstraction, painted in 1949, displays the complexity and richness associated with Kline's mature abstractions at a pivotal moment in his career.