Elaine Kurtz (American, 1928-2003) Earth Series Study VII, 1986 sand, pyrite and acrylic on canvas signed, titled and dated Kurtz '86 verso 15 3/4 x 37 1/2 in. (40 x 95.3cm)
Antique American pastel abstract by Elaine Etta Kahn Kurtz (1928 - 2003). Pastel on paper. Signed on back. Framed. Please see all images for condition. Size is measured and written on the back of the painting. The first size is the overall size, the second size is the image size. For detailed condition questions please text 617-835-2496. Artist Bio:The Painting of Elaine Kurtz: Judith Stein Reviews: Published by Martha Jackson Gallery, New York in cooperation with Marian Locks Gallery, PhiladelphiaJUDITH STEIN REVIEWPhiladelphia, June, 1978Elaine Kurtz was born in Philadelphia in 1928 and has spent most of her life with art. By the age of seven she had shown more than the usual talent for drawing. She excelled in her art classes and became a Saturday student in the school of the Fleisher Art Memorial and the YMHA. She was graduated with honors from the Philadelphia College of Art, at the same time taking evening courses wherever and whenever they were available.In the years following graduation, Kurtz earned her living as a free lance illustrator, working successfully for magazines, advertising agencies and individual clients. These years of illustration earned her admiration and distinction in the field. Twice the Philadelphia Art Directors Club awarded her their gold medal and three times Certificates of Merit for illustration. For four years she taught drawing at the Philadelphia College of Art.She married Jerome Kurtz in 1956 and they spent the next 18 months in Europe while he completed his military service. This was a period of intense exposure to the art and architecture of France and Italy.Upon their return to the United States Kurtz resumed her career as an illustrator, with time out to start a family. Their first daughter, Madeleine was born in 1958 and their second, Anne Nettie, in 1961.Kurtz painted occasionally, but essentially in a figurative style and with little satisfaction. “I had great difficulty separating my painting from my illustration,” she says. The “perception that I could be a painter” she dates from her studies of art history and aesthetics at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania (1963-65), a period of systematic thought about the aesthetic problems of painting, but her personal viewpoint had yet to emerge.In 1966 Kurtz and her family moved to Washington, D.C. where the most exciting work with color was being done. She enrolled in a class taught by painter Tom Downing and, in the very first session, recognized the direction she wanted her work to take.Elaine Kurtz became a fulltime working painter, concentrating on color, light, space, and the perception of color illusions. By eliminating known objects she was able to break with her past and concentrate wholly on the subtle relationships of color and illusion which were her primary interest. Her work has explored with increasing inventiveness and subtlety the effect of color on its environment and of one color on another. “I constantly want to show myself something new … and to treat my own eyes and yours to something they didn’t see before,” she says.After her return to Philadelphia in 1968, Edna Andrade, an artist friend, admired her work and brought her to the attention of gallery owner Marian Locks. A short time later Locks included Kurtz in a group show.Kurtz’ first one-man exhibition came in 1970 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance where her work was well received. She won her first painting award the same year in the Annual Painting Show of the Cheltenham Art Center, a distinguished regional exhibition juried by Stephen Prokopoff, currently Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.Her early work employed some definite shapes — flat, with hard edges-but by the time of her first one-man show at Marian Locks Gallery (1972) Kurtz had softened the edges of her diamonds, x’s and bands of color, allowing the interaction of shape, color and space to create what she now sees as “cautious illusion”.It was at this time she made further exploration of the silkscreen process. Although she had produced earlier (with John Bolles) a portfolio of prints in flat colors she believed illusion could be created by blended colors. Luitpold Domberger saw and liked her work and was confident he could achieve her aims. She went to Stuttgart and completed a successful portfolio with Domberger, who included one of her prints in his Editions Domberger Calendar 1974, produced in West Germany.By 1974 — and her second one-man show at Marion Locks Gallery-Kurtz — had brought further simplification to her forms and was now using vertical and horizontal bands to create more and more illusion. Her first one man show in New York (1976) brought a reduction in the number of bands of color on the canvas and an expansion of the size of the illusion. One canvas in this exhibition (an untitled black painting divided in half) predicted the step taken in her current Bordered Illusions … where narrow, changing bands frame the interior space, controlling and giving the illusion of change in the entire canvas. Now, too, came the experiments with tiny dots of color mixed by the viewer’s eye to create the illusion of color painted flat.Since 1970 Kurtz’ paintings and prints have been shown in rnore than 50 group exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. In 1973 she was one of eight artists who contributed original prints to the publication of Poems by Lynn Honickman, with an introduction by Anais Nin, published by Oser Press, Philadelphia. In 1974 one of her large paintings Warm Spectrum was purchased for the foyer of the last residence designed by noted architect Louis Kahn prior to his death. Since that time she has completed more than 10 commissions for private and public collections.In granting Elaine Kurtz the Silver Star Alumni Award of the Philadelphia College of Art in 1977, Morris Berd, professor in drawing and painting, said “It is most gratifying and uplifting to find an artist who is a meticulous worker and deeply concerned with the quality of ideas and the execution of product — in this case paintings and prints. In the last few years Elaine has matured and perfected her ideas, both optical and poetic.”She has recently returned to Washington, D.C. where, in addition to painting, she is preparing a book entitled Color Illusion designed to broaden understanding of color and its relationships for the beginning artist and the layman.
Lot 23 Elaine Kurtz American (1928-2003) Nonet (1978) acrylic on canvas comprised of nine panels, hinged together in groups of three one signed verso overall: 60 x 225 inches each: 60 x 25 inches unframed Additional Information: re-offer due to nonpaying bidder Provenance: From the GE Corporate Collection
Lot 118 Elaine Kurtz American (1928-2003) Nonet (1978) acrylic on canvas comprised of nine panels, hinged together in groups of three one signed verso overall: 60 x 225 inches each: 60 x 25 inches unframed Provenance: From the GE Corporate Collection
Elaine Kurtz (American, 1928-2003) Untitled Signed and dated '86 verso, acrylic, sand, mica, and stone on canvas. (48 x 84 in. (121.9 x 213.4cm)) Provenance The Artist. The Estate of the Artist. By descent in the family of the Artist.
Elaine Kurtz (American, 1928-2003) Blue Diptych Signed, dated '89 and titled verso, acrylic, mica and sand on canvas. (36 x 21 1/4 in. (91.4 x 54cm)) Provenance The Artist. The Estate of the Artist. By descent in the family of the Artist.
Elaine Kurtz (American, 1928-2003) Study Signed, dated 86 and titled verso, quartz, sand and acrylic on canvas. (24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7cm)) Provenance The Artist. The Estate of the Artist. By descent in the family of the Artist. Exhibited "Elemental: Nature as Language in the Works of Philadelphia Artists," Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 17-April 22 2012, no. 28, not illustrated.
Kurtz, Elaine 1928 - 2003 76 x 61 cm, o. R. Untitled. Silkscreen print on cardboard. Signed and marked "A. P.". Embossing stamp: Domberger Screenprint. Private collection, Baden-Württemberg.
KURTZ, Elaine, (American, 1928-2003): Untitled minimalist composition depicting graduating rectangles in varying shades of white, light polychrome spatter designs, similar to previous lot, but this pieces is comprised of one canvas, Acrylic/canvas, signed verso, dated '81 and titled Diptych, 30.25" x 30.25", framed 32" x 32".
Elaine Kurtz American, 1928-2003 Study - Mineral Series, 1986-87 Signed Elaine Kurtz, dated '86-'87 and inscribed as titled on the reverse Acrylic, sand and chalcopyrite on canvas 24 x 18 inches (60.96 x 45.72 cm) Provenance: Shippee Gallery, New York C Estate of a Prominent New York Family
Elaine Kurtz (American b. 1928) Alluvial Painting Signed, dated and titled on verso Elaine Kurtz '97/ Alluvial Painting Mixed media on canvas 36 x 52 in (91.4 x 132.1 cm)Property of Various Owners
Pair of serigraphs. Elaine Kurtz (born 1928) American, limited edition serigraphs. Guaranteed Authentic. Depicts a pair of abstract minimalist images with gradients of gray and gray/blue on one to gray to gray/green on the other. Signed lower right and both numbered 5/25. Sight measures 40" x 20". Housed in frame measuring 40 3/8" x 20 3/8". Good overall condition with wear to frame. Provenance: From the estate Vic and Rena Rowan Damone, Palm Beach, Florida. Vic Damone was a notable singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist. Rena Rowan Damone was the highly successful lead designer and one of the founding members of the clothing company Jones New York. Hill Auction Gallery will not ship. H.A.G., will refer local third party USA domestic and International shippers upon request.
Elaine Kurtz (born 1928) American, Guaranteed Authentic. Original oil on canvas painting. Untitled. Signed on verso in pencil and dated 75'. Unframed. Measures 50" x 40". Good / fair overall condition with scuffs to image and storage wear. Provenance: From the estate Vic and Rena Rowan Damone, Palm Beach, Florida. Vic Damone was a notable singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist. Rena Rowan Damone was the highly successful lead designer and one of the founding members of the clothing company Jones New York. Hill Auction Gallery will not ship. H.A.G., will refer local third party USA domestic and International shippers upon request.
Elaine Kurtz (born 1928) American, Guaranteed Authentic. Pair of original oil on canvas paintings. Untitled. Signed on verso in pencil and dated 76'. Unframed. Measures 50" x 40". Good / fair overall condition with scuffs to image and storage wear. Provenance: From the estate Vic and Rena Rowan Damone, Palm Beach, Florida. Vic Damone was a notable singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist. Rena Rowan Damone was the highly successful lead designer and one of the founding members of the clothing company Jones New York. Hill Auction Gallery will not ship. H.A.G., will refer local third party USA domestic and International shippers upon request.
Elaine Kurtz (born 1928) American, Guaranteed Authentic. Original pastel on paper artwork. Titled: Variation On A Square. Signed on verso in pencil and dated 79'. Sight measures 13 3/8" x 13 3/8". Housed in frame measuring 19 3/4" x 19 3/4". Good overall condition with wear to frame. Provenance: From the estate Vic and Rena Rowan Damone, Palm Beach, Florida. Vic Damone was a notable singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist. Rena Rowan Damone was the highly successful lead designer and one of the founding members of the clothing company Jones New York. Provenance: In house, Hill Auction Gallery continental USA domestic shipping $125 plus insurance. H.A.G., will refer local third party International shippers upon request.
Three prints of red and orange bands mounted and framed together. Silkscreen, 20th century. Each signed and numbered A, B, and C and editioned 27/40. Frame size, 30 x 60 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Three prints of red and orange bands mounted and framed together. Silkscreen, 20th century. Each signed and numbered A, B, and C and editioned 27/40. Frame size, 30 x 60 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Three prints of red and orange bands mounted and framed together. Silkscreen, 20th century. Each signed and numbered A, B, and C and editioned 27/40. Frame size, 30 x 60 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Three prints of red and orange bands mounted and framed together. Silkscreen, 20th century. Each signed and numbered A, B, and C and editioned 27/40. Frame size, 30 x 60 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Three prints of red and orange bands mounted and framed together. Silkscreen, 20th century. Each signed and numbered A, B, and C and editioned 27/40. Frame size, 30 x 60 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
1970s pop art school, geometric stars with faint inscription at top; signed lower right and numbered 24/25 lower left. Image: 28" H X 28" W; frame: 28.25" X 28.5". Minor discoloration from age.
ELAINE KURTZ (american, 1928-2003) "STUDY - WARM AND COOL ALLUVIAL SERIES II" Signed, titled and dated ''90 verso, obsidian, sand and acrylic on canvas. 36 x 16 in. (91.4 x 40.5cm) provenance: Private Collection, Washington, D.C.
ELAINE KURTZ (american, 1928-2003)/span "ALLUVIAL DIPTYCH WITH OBSIDIAN" Signed and dated 99 on right panel verso, titled and dated on left panel verso, oil, mixed media and sand on two canvases (diptych). each panel: 72 x 48 in. (182.9 x 243.8cm) overall: 72 x 96 in. (182.9 x 121.9cm) Unframed (2) provenance: /spanThe Estate of Jerome and Elaine Kurtz, New York, New York.
ELAINE KURTZ (american, 1928-2003)/span "WHITE CHEVRON" Signed, dated 76 and titled twice on verso, acrylic on canvas. 50 x 60 in. (127 x 152.4cm) Unframed provenance: /spanThe Estate of Jerome and Elaine Kurtz, New York, New York.
ELAINE KURTZ (american, 1928-2003)/span "STUDY FOR EARTH AND SKY" Signed verso, acrylic on canvas. Executed circa 1970. 30 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (76.8 x 76.8cm) provenance: /spanThe Estate of Jerome and Elaine Kurtz, New York, New York.
Elaine Kurtz (American, b. 1928) Sand Series. Inscribed "E. Katz '87/Sand Series" on the reverse. Acrylic and sand/mixed media on canvas, 18 x 48 in., framed. Condition: Good.
ELAINE KURTZ (american b. 1928)/span "DIVIDED SQUARE" Oil on canvas, diptych framed together Executed in 1978 overall: 50 1/2 x 50 1/2 in. provenance: /spanMartha Jackson Gallery, New York, New York. Private Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Elaine Kurtz (American, b. 1928) Sand Series. Inscribed "E. Katz '87/Sand Series" on the reverse. Acrylic and sand/mixed media on canvas, 18 x 48 in., framed. Condition: Good.
ELAINE KURTZ (American, b. 1928). UNTITLED, ALLUVIAL SERIES '94, signed, and inscribed on reverse. Sand pebbles, mica, acrylic and vinyl on canvas - Unframed, 36 in. x 61 in.
