Lot 793: Gene Davis Pen, Ink, & Watercolor Abstract Painting

Gene B. Davis (American/District of Columbia, 1920-1985) ink, pen, and watercolor painting on paper abstract composition in shades of white, grey, and yellow against a background of light pink and apricot. Inscribed "#201, Untitled" en verso and signed and dated 1956 lower right. Marsha Mateyka Gallery, Washington, D. C. label en verso. Float mounted on white cardstock and housed in a painted wood frame. Sheet: 16 1/2" H x 13 3/4" W. Framed: 24 1/2" H x 21 1/4" W. Artist Biography: "[Gene Davis was] a major figure in 20th-century American painting whose contribution was invaluable in establishing Washington, D.C., as a center of contemporary art. Davis also played a significant national and international role in the color abstraction movement that first achieved prominence in the 1960s. Born in Washington, D.C., Davis attended local schools and later worked as a sportswriter and White House correspondent before pursuing a career in art. Although never formally trained, Davis educated himself through assiduous visits to New York's museums and galleries as well as to Washington's art institutions, especially the Phillips Collection…In the 1960s, art critics identified Davis as a leader of the Washington Color School, a loosely connected group of Washington painters who created abstract compositions in acrylic colors on unprimed canvas…Davis is known primarily for the stripe works that span twenty-seven years, but he was a versatile artist who worked in a variety of formats and media…" (Source: Jacquelyn D. Serwer "Gene Davis: A Memorial Exhibition" [Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1987])

CONDITION: Painting in very good condition. Very slight abrasions to upper left corner of frame.