[France]: [self-published], 1965, 10,5×14,9 cm. Original collage artwork.
The wildly overlooked Kelly’s collaged postcards constitute an intriguing part of his oeuvre. They were mailed or given to friends and associates, while a large number was kept private at Kelly’s studio. This card – out of a set of two available – was given to Michel Seuphor, a close friend, supporter and advocate of Kelly’s work since the late 1940s. Kelly, spent much of the spring and summer of 1965, following [?] his shows of lithographs at Galerie Maeght that year, travelling through France – mostly the west coast – before crossing to Switzerland for a group show at Kunsthalle Bern. It is highly probable that Seuphor joined him for part of this trip. In any case, the two postcards in question were picked up during these trips, in the easternmost part of France bordering Switzerland.
In this collage Kelly employs the interesting technique of reusing his discarded work as source material, where two painted pieces of what appears structurally to have been a plant work – another Iris maybe? – are employed.
A fragmented work within a work, a nature study within a nature study – an amalgamation of attitudes between the bold gestural painting fragments and the saturated, standardised travel photography. A highly original piece, brimming with playful attitude.
Signed by Ellsworth Kelly.
condition: Excellent
