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ALVIN D. LOVING, JR. (1935 - 2006)
Three Solid Questions
.
Triptych of acrylic on cotton canvas, 1969. Each 1321x1524 mm; 52x60
inches (hexagonal).
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist (1969); private collection.
The triptych was sold privately to the current owner by the artist while
they were on exhibit.
Exhibited:
Alvin Loving: Paintings
, theWhitney Museum of American Art,
NewYork, December 19, 1969 - January 25, 1970.
This impressive trio of paintings is the first Al Loving work offered at
auction that was part of his important solo exhibition at the Whitney
Museum of American Art. The exhibition included only six works - 4
large assemblages of shaped canvases, and two cube-shaped canvases.
Inspired by Hans Hofmann and Josef Albers, Detroit-born, Loving earned
an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1965. Loving
began hard edge painting of cubes and hexagons in 1967, and launched
his NewYork career after his first one-person 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
StevenWilde and Bert Walker, curators at the Whitney.
In 1969, Loving enjoyed extraordinary success with his critically
acclaimed, one-person exhibition at the Whitney Museum. 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.TheWhitney exhibition led
to the museum purchase of the painting
Rational Irrationalism
, private sales
of the other works and his signing withWilliam Zierler gallery.
[120,000/180,000]