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Morris Louis, Beta Upsilon, 1960, acrylic on canvas, 102 1⁄2 x 243 1⁄2 in. (260.4 x 618.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.6
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Beta Upsilon
- Artist
- Date
- 1960
- Location
- Dimensions
- 102 1⁄2 x 243 1⁄2 in. (260.4 x 618.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- acrylic on canvas
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Abstract
- Object Number
- 1980.5.6
Artwork Description
Morris Louis created this majestically scaled work has not been seen in public for more than thirty years. Morris Louis created it by directing streams of paint down the sides of the canvas, allowing the color to soak into the fibers. He left the central expanse blank, a bold choice that creates much of the composition's visual tension.
Louis produced all of his most influential paintings in the last five years of his life. He worked in the dining room of his house in Northwest DC, a space so small he could only unroll a single canvas, or part of a canvas, at a time.