Edward Avedisian, Large Mod Abstract Expressionist Modernist Edward Avedisian Color Field Painting, c. 1979-1980's

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Edward Avedisian (American, 1936-2007) Abstract Large Painting Acrylic on panel heavily textured with a 3D effect. Dimensions: 48"h x 75"w … Read more Edward Avedisian (American, 1936-2007) Abstract Large Painting Acrylic on panel heavily textured with a 3D effect. Dimensions: 48"h x 75"w Circa late 1970s, early 1980s Provenance: Edward Avedisian had painted huge murals for Green’s, a posh gourmet vegetarian restaurant run by the San Francisco Zen Center. They had a collection of fine paintings, sculptures and artworks by Willard Dixon, JB Blunk, Mayumi Oda and Edward Avedisian, who was also one of the restaurant’s designers. Since its founding in 1979, Greens has been patronized by some of the most influential chefs of the world, notable actors, poets, writers, and leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, first elected female Speaker of the House of Representatives. Famous gourmets and cooks who patronized Greens in its first years included James Beard, Craig Claiborne, Julia Child, and Elizabeth David. Greens is consistently listed as a top vegetarian restaurant by Eater San Francisco and both top vegetarian and overall restaurant by the San Francisco Chronicle. Bears his name in pencil verso but does not otherwise appear to be signed. It is not dated. Edward Avedisian (June 15, 1936, Lowell, Massachusetts – August 17, 2007, Philmont, New York) was an American abstract painter who came into prominence during the 1960s. His work was initially associated with Color field painting and in the late 1960s with Lyrical Abstraction and Abstract Expressionism. He evolved to a more structured hard-edge style, but later explored figurative and expressionist approaches. Influences: Pop Art and Color Field painting are mentioned as influences. Bold compositions, vibrant colors, and initially, a focus on optical experience over tactile qualities of Abstract Expressionism. A prominent figure in the New York art scene of the 1960s, was notably influenced by Helen Frankenthaler stain painting techniques. He studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. By the late 1950s he moved to New York City. Between 1958 and 1963 Avedisian had six solo shows in New York. In 1958 he initially showed at the Hansa Gallery, then he had three shows at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery and in 1962 and 1963 at the Robert Elkon Gallery. He continued to show at the Robert Elkon Gallery almost every year until 1975. During the 1960s his work was broadly visible in the contemporary art world. He joined the dynamic art scene in Greenwich Village, frequenting the Cedar Tavern on Tenth Street, associating with the critic Clement Greenberg, and joining a new generation of abstract artists, such as Darby Bannard, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, and Larry Poons. Avedisian was among the leading figures to emerge in the New York art world during the 1960s. An artist who mixed the hot colors of Pop Art with the cool, more analytical qualities of Color Field painting, he was instrumental in the exploration of new abstract methods to examine the primacy of optical experience. One of his paintings was appeared on the cover of Artforum, in 1969, his work was included in the seminal 1965 art exhibitions Op Art The Responsive Eye exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. "The Responsive Eye" was a seminal exhibition of Op Art (Optical Art) held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City in 1965. The show brought this emerging art movement, characterized by its focus on optical illusions and viewer perception, to widespread public attention. Many important artists were included, Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Josef Albers, Julian Stanczak, Yaacov Agam, Francis Celentano, Lorser Feitelson, Ward Jackson and Frank Stella. He was included in four annuals at the Whitney Museum of American Art. His paintings were widely sought after by collectors and acquired by major museums in New York and elsewhere. He has been exhibited in prominent galleries, such as the Anita Shapolsky Gallery and the Berry Campbell Gallery in New York City. Edward Avedisian was known for his brightly colored, boldly composed canvases that combined Minimalism rigor, Pop art exuberance and the saturated tones of Color Field painting. This has the bold color intensity of the Memphis Milano movement that emerged in the same time period. Roberta Smith of the NYT writes of Avedesian: "Edward Avedisian helped establish the hotly colored, but emotionally cool, abstract painting that succeeded Abstract Expressionism in the early 1960s. This young luminary harnessed elements of minimalism, pop, and color field painting to create prominent works of epic proportions that energized the New York art scene of the time." In 1996 Avedisian showed his paintings from the 1960s at the Mitchell Algus Gallery, then in SoHo. His last show, dominated by recent landscapes, was in 2003 at the Algus gallery, now in Chelsea. Selected Exhibitions: Op Art: The Responsive Eye, at the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum’s Young America 1965 Expo 67, held in Montreal, Canada. Six Painters (along with Darby Bannard, Dan Christensen, Ron Davis, Poons, and Peter Young) , Albright-Knox Art Gallery in collaboration with the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Milwaukee Art Center. Selected collections: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Denver Art Museum, Colorado; Flint Institute of Arts, Michigan; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York; Portland Art Museum, Oregon; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut. Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA, See less