Merce C by painter Franz Kline is an homage to Merce Cunningham (born 1919), the American modern dancer and choreographer

This painting is included in the museum's travelling exhibition, Modernism & Abstraction, now at The Art Museum at Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Merce Cunningham-a modern dancer, choreographer, and friend of the artist-inspired Kline's own dynamic performance in black and white. In this stark but dramatic composition, Franz Kline captures the power and elegance of Cunningham's dances.

Source: Jacquelyn Days Serwer. Modernism & Abstraction: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).

Pictured: Franz Kline (1910–1962), Merce C,1961, oil, 93 x 74 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.