Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) is one of the masters of American minimalism. He is collected internationally and renowned for his signature hypnotic shapes realized in bold saturated colors. 

Like many artists who had served in the US military during WWII, Kelly took advantage of the G.I. Bill and moved to Paris in the late 1940s returning to the US in 1954. By the end of the decade, he had established his reputation as part of the new wave of artists rejecting the dominance of abstract expressionism in American art. Kelly was notably included

Kelly was one of the first artists, along with Frank Stella, to use unconventional creatively shaped canvases, contributing to the nascent genre of Minimalism. Similar to Stella, Kelly began to explore printmaking in the 1960s and it became an essential part of his practice. 

"Leaves (Feuilles)" is an early example of Kelly's printmaking and a stunning, pared-down example of his exploration of shape and space.

Despite Kelly's most common association with bright colors and vivid hard-edge abstraction, he spent nearly 60 years taking inspiration from nature. "Leaves (Feuilles)" is an exemplary work that demonstrates the artist's ability to capture the essence of flora through smooth contours and only the most essential details.

This iconic piece is represented in numerous public collections such as The Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and The Tate Modern (London), to name a few.

Kelly's work can be found in every major American permanent collection in addition to the Centre Pompidou (Paris) the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Madrid), Tate Modern (London), and the National Gallery (Ottawa).

Questions about this piece?  or call 1.416.704.1720 

"Leaves (Feuilles)" from the Suite of Plant Lithographs

USA, 1964 (published in 1966)

Lithograph

Signed and numbered by the artist

From an edition of 75

35.25"H 25"W (work)

37.75"H 27.25"W (framed)

Very good condition

Publisher: Maeght Éditeur, Paris