Beta Upsilon

Morris Louis, Beta Upsilon, 1960, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.6
Copied Morris Louis, Beta Upsilon, 1960, acrylic on canvas, 102 12243 12 in. (260.4618.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Vincent Melzac Collection through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1980.5.6

Artwork Details

Title
Beta Upsilon
Artist
Date
1960
Dimensions
102 12243 12 in. (260.4618.5 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.