Etel Adnan Untitled (circa 1965) Estimate: 150,000 - 250,000GBP
"An early work by Etel Adnan (b.1925, Beirut), this painting dates to the 1950s, an artistically formative period for the artist during which she developed a number of key aspects of her practise. This piece is an excellent example of her embryonic style, filled with characteristic Adnan motifs that would go on to define her famous technique in years to come. It was painted whilst Adnan was teaching in California during the 1950s where she found herself inspired by the dramatic landscapes and topography. We can see in this key piece Adnan’s love of Abstraction and Cubism rendered in bold, pure colours, in a composition clearly inspired by Paul Klee. I also love how we can see those distinct Etel Adnan motifs that she would go on to invoke in her works in the decades ahead, such as the squares, suns and moons".
Katia Nounou
