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ALVIN D. LOVING, JR. (1935 - 2005)
Untitled
.
Acrylic on cotton canvas, circa 1969-70. 1220x914 mm; 48x36 inches. Signed in pencil on the stretcher
bar, upper right verso.
Provenance: the artist, NewYork; Gail J.Wright Sirmans, NewYork; private collection, NewYork.
This painting is a striking and unusual example of the artist’s geometric abstraction in a non-shaped
canvas.This work displays a transitional exploration of composition, form and color, apart from his
shaped hexagon and cube canvases. Inspired by Hans Hofmann and Josef Albers, Detroit-born Loving
earned an MFA from the University of Michigan in 1965. Loving began hard edge painting in 1967.
Loving launched his NewYork career after his first solo exhibition with Gertrude Kasle Gallery in
Detroit in 1969. Gertrude Kasle provided Loving with letters of introduction to Harold Hart of
Martha Jackson Gallery and Steven Wilde and Bert Walker, curators at the Whitney Museum of
American Art. In 1969, Loving enjoyed extraordinary success with a critically acclaimed solo
exhibition at theWhitney. Loving was the first of a group of African-American artists whose work
was shown at the Whitney during the 1970s, including Frank Bowling, Frederick Eversley, Melvin
Edwards and Alma Thomas–all, except Edwards, were abstract painters.TheWhitney exhibition led
to the museum purchase of the painting
Rational Irrationalism
, private sales of all the other works,
and his signing withWilliam Zierler Gallery.
[30,000/40,000]
