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RAY PARKER (1922-1990)

 
<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
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<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
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<br><div> </div>
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<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process. </font></div>
<br>
<br><div> </div>
<br>
<br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting. </font></div>
Untitled195452 1/4 x 56 x 1 in.(132.72 x 142.24 x 2.54 cm) oil on canvas
Provenance
Christie's Private Sales
Private Collection, purchased from the above
Painted in 1954, this "Untitled" canvas exemplifies Ray Parker’s early engagement with Abstract Expressionism, a moment when he was forging a language of bold color and gestural immediacy. Parker worked directly on unstretched canvas, building the composition through broad, saturated brushstrokes that retain a sense of spontaneity and improvisation. The edges of form remain fluid, emphasizing the immediacy of his process.


 


Although Parker would later become best known for his “Simple Paintings,” these early works are both rare and foundational, bridging the raw energy of Abstract Expressionism with the clarity of form that defined his mature style. With fewer than 310 works recorded at auction and very few from the 1950s, canvases of this scale and date seldom appear on the market. A related early abstraction, "Untitled" (1956), is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. "Untitled" (1954) represents a significant example of Parker’s innovative contribution to postwar American painting.
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