WASHINGTON COLOR SCHOOL

Samira Farmer Explores

WASHINGTON COLOR SCHOOL - Selections from the Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

In 1965, the Washington Gallery of Modern Art presented the exhibition, Washington Color Painters, curated by Gerald Nordland. This show exalted in the achievements of a select group of Washington, DC artists whose experiments with color and canvas led to a new level of expression. This seminal exhibition included works by Reed, Mehring and Downing, along with Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, Gene Davis, Leon Berkowitz and Sam Gilliam, as well as important women artists like Anne Truitt and Alma Thomas.

Howard Mehring

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Lot 39. Howard Mehring, American, 1931-1978 Magenta Double, 1964 Inscribed Magenta Double and dated May 1964 on the reverse Oil on collaged unprimed canvas 72 1/4 x 72 inches (183.51 x 182.88 cm) Unframed, Provenance: A.M. Sachs Gallery, New York, Exhibited: Washington, DC, The Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington Color Painters, Jun. 25 - Sep. 5, 1965; traveled to Austin, TX, University of Texas, University Art Museum, then to Santa Barbara, University of California, Art Gallery, then to Waltham, MA, Brandeis University, Rose Art Gallery, then to Minneapolis, Walker Art Center C $15,000-20,000. Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

Lot 40. Howard Mehring, American, 1931-1978 Untitled Oil on collaged unprimed canvas 44 x 44 inches (111.76 x 111.76 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners C $10,000-15,000. Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

Lot 41 Howard Mehring: American, 1931-1978 Untitled Oil on collaged unprimed canvas 34 x 34 inches (86.36 x 86.36 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners C $7,000-10,000. Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

Gilbert and Sandra Oken’s home gallery in Washington, DC displayed a vibrant array of art and contemporary craft. The couple’s personal collection was focused on local artists and galleries with whom they established direct relationships. Pedestals in every corner showcased whimsical sculptures and brightly colored glass, and the walls were covered with colorful paintings by important Washington, DC painters, including Paul Reed, Howard Mehring and Thomas Downing. Several works from the Collection of Gilbert and Sandra Oken reside in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery.

Thomas Downing

Lot 45. Thomas Downing, American, 1928-1985 Untitled Acrylic on unprimed canvas Parallelogram, 23 3/4 x 30 3/4 inches (60.32 x 78.10 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners, purportedly C $5,000-7,000

Several of these artists later became associated with The Washington Color School. They were championed by collector, curator and influential art promoter Vincent Melzac, as well as noted art critic Clement Greenberg. Melzac’s own collection was presented at a Corcoran exhibition in 1970-71 entitled The Vincent Melzac Collection: Modernist American Art Featuring New York Abstract Expressionism and Washington Color Painting. The exhibition showcased one of the finest collections of American Abstract Expressionists together with Washington Color School artists. Works by Willem de Kooning, Norman Bluhm, and Michael Goldberg were displayed alongside Reed, Mehring and Downing. By positioning these lesser-known artists alongside their famous contemporaries, Melzac was instrumental in grounding the Washington Color School artists’ talent and achievements within a broader context. Works by Washington Color School painters continue to be discovered by collectors today.

Paul Reed

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Lot 46 American, 1919-2015 #2B, 1965 Signed Paul Reed, dated 1965 and inscribed as titled on the stretcher Acrylic on unprimed canvas 65 x 93 1/2 inches (165.1 x 237.49 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners, Exhibited: Washington, DC, The Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington Color Painters, Jun. 25 - Sep. 5, 1965; traveled to Austin, TX, University of Texas, University Art Museum, then to Santa Barbara, University of California, Art Gallery, then to Waltham, MA, Brandeis University, Rose Art Gallery, then to Minneapolis, Walker Art Center C $10,000-15,000. Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

Lot 47 Paul Reed, American, 1919-2015 Topeka XX, 1967 Signed Paul Reed, dated 1967 and inscribed as titled on the stretcher Acrylic on unprimed canvas Polygon, 56 1/4 x 28 1/2 inches (142.9 x 72.4 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners C $8,000-12,000. Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken

Paul Reed, American, 1919-2015 Untitled: Quadriptych, 1979 Inscribed on left sheet 91783 (ll); inscribed on sheet second from left 1219783 (ll); inscribed on sheet second from right 116974 (ll); signed Paul Reed and dated 1979 (lr), and inscribed 27292 (ll) on right sheet Pastel, graphite and marker on four separate sheets of sketchbook paper Overall 12 x 36 inches (30.48 x 91.44 cm), Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist by the current owners C $700-900, Collection of Gilbert & Sandra Oken