ADOLPH GOTTLIEB (1903-1974) Title: Untitled, Medium: Mixed Media on Board, Date: c. 1965-70, Size: 12 x 9 in. w/C. of Attrib. Was a prominent American painter and member of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists. Characterized by an idiosyncratic use of an abstract visual language, his paintings are inspired by Primitivism and mythological symbols and achieve an emotional intensity from their expressive use of color. I never use nature as a starting point, he explained. I never abstract from nature. Among his most famous works are his late-career Burst Paintings, canvases which bear smooth, round shapes above more disordered marks. Born on March 14, 1904, in New York, NY he studied from 1920 until 1921 at the Art Students League of New York. He traveled extensively throughout Europe as a young man, and returned to his home city to begin exhibiting as an artist. He became part of the circle of painters known as the Ten whose mission was to protest the equivalence of American painting and literal painting, and which counted Mark Rothko and Lou Schanker among its members. He died on March 4, 1974 in New York, NY, and in accordance to his wishes, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation was formed in 1976, offering grants to visual artists.

(Attributed to: Qualifier used for attributions to express minor to moderate uncertainty regarding the attribution to a known creator, as when the work is proven, style, or physical characteristics suggest to given creator, but the attribution can not be validated with absolute certainty (eg, attributed to Frans Hals (Dutch painter, ca. 1581-1666)).