Stuart Davis, among the twentieth century's most influential American artists, devoted six decades to refining his singular vernacular, drawing on European modernism and the rich tapestry of American culture. During the final decade of his life, Davis had mastered a distinct, signature style, yielding his most significant masterpieces. Part Cubist, part Pop, part Abstract, his 1960s works were characterized by monumental scale, increased economy of form and keyed-up colors. Executed in 1963, just a year before the artist’s death, Contranuities is a towering masterpiece measuring 68 inches in height, embodying its author’s enduring legacy as a quintessential figure of American modernism. Contranuities has remained in the same prominent collection for nearly fifty years, eluding the public eye and staying relatively unknown for a work of its caliber.
Contranuities by Stuart Davis will be sold at the Now and Contemporary Auction, presented in partnership in Samsung, on 20 November in New York.
