Alan Green British, 1932-2003
Four Vertical Reds, 1978
oil, tempera and acrylic on canvas
83 7/8 x 144 1/8 inches
213 x 366 cm
213 x 366 cm
signed, dated 78, titled and inscribed on the reverse of each of the four canvases; also inscribed on the stretchers of each of the four canvases
Further images
Alan Green said he wanted to make ‘ordinary paintings that can be looked at over and over again’. He was keen for his paintings to function in two ways: as...
Alan Green said he wanted to make ‘ordinary paintings that can be looked at over and over again’. He was keen for his paintings to function in two ways: as a two-dimensional pictorial space, as well as a three-dimensional material object in real space.
Green achieved this by painting restrained canvases, which seem to respond differently to subtle environmental changes. His minimal surfaces delicately register slight changes in the surrounding light. This forces viewers to be aware of the physical context of the painting, as well as their position in relation to it.
Green achieved this by painting restrained canvases, which seem to respond differently to subtle environmental changes. His minimal surfaces delicately register slight changes in the surrounding light. This forces viewers to be aware of the physical context of the painting, as well as their position in relation to it.
Provenance
Annely Juda Fine Art, LondonSolomon R Giggenheim Museum, purchased in 1980 with the Exxon Corporation Purchase Award
Exhibitions
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, British Art Now: An American Perspective, 1980 Exxon International Exhibition, 11 January - 9 March 1980, cat no.19, touring to:London, Royal Academy of Arts
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Aspects of British Art from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Collection, 25 March - 8 May 1983, unnumbered catalogue
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Emerging Artists: 1978-1986: Selections from the Exxon Series, 4 September - 25 October 1987, unnumbered catalogue, illustrated p27