In 1949 Kelly saw a Parisian repertory production of Hamlet that relied only on black and gray curtains of varying depths and widths for changes of scene and colored lights to change the mood. Kelly's sketch of one particular curtain design inspired this wood construction. The juxtaposition of the rectangle with the curvilinear panels is a formal theme that continued to preoccupy him, as did the bright light–blue color first used in this work. The curved wood components anticipate the shaped canvases of his New York work.

Gallery label from

Focus: Ellsworth Kelly, 2007.

Medium Oil on wood
Dimensions 44 7/8 x 17 1/2" (114 x 44.5 cm)
Credit Gift of Donald L. Bryant, Jr.
Object number 2470.2001
Department Painting & Sculpture

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Ellsworth Kelly

Ellsworth Kelly

American, 1923–2015 338 works online

In 1951, the 28-year-old artist Ellsworth Kelly submitted a grant to the Guggenheim Foundation, proposing “an alphabet of plastic pictorial elements, aiming to establish a new scale of painting, a closer contact between the artist and the wall, providing a way for painting to accompany modern architecture.

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