Born in Newburgh, New York, Kelly studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to study at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and later in Paris, where he was influenced by European modernists such as Matisse, Arp, and Mondrian.
Kelly’s work is characterized by bold, simplified forms, vibrant color fields, and a focus on shape and spatial relationships. He often drew inspiration from nature, architecture, and everyday visual experiences, abstracting these influences into pure, geometric compositions. Though associated with movements such as Minimalism and Color Field painting, Kelly remained independent in style and intent, emphasizing perception and presence over theory.
Over a career spanning more than six decades, Kelly earned widespread acclaim, and his work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Tate. He continued creating art well into his 90s, leaving behind a legacy that profoundly shaped the visual language of postwar American art.
Ellsworth Kelly’s Orange with Green is part of his acclaimed Suite of Twenty-Seven Color Lithographs (1964-65), representing his first major engagement with printmaking. Executed after moving to Paris, Kelly worked closely with the legendary Maeght studio, renowned for its collaborations with leading modernists. Aimé and Marguerite Maeght not only acted as publishers but also offered access to the renowned Imprimerie Maeght and master printer Marcel Durassier. Their technical expertise ensured exceptionally high-quality lithographs, allowing Kelly to realize his vision for pure color and form with precision. This collaboration enabled Kelly to experiment with transfer lithography, a process that suited his preference for crisp, spontaneous outlines and bold color fields.
Orange with Green exemplifies Kelly’s approach to hard-edge abstraction, focusing on the interplay of bold, pure colors and geometric form. Kelly strived for a “purity of form” which highlighted the emotive power of color fields – a key tenet of Color Field Painting and Minimalism. Drawing on the influences of French modernists such as Jean Arp and Henri Matisse, Kelly echoed their exploration of abstraction and reduction of natural imagery to fundamental shapes and hues. The composition’s large, uncompromising color shapes and absence of traditional pictorial depth are emblematic of Kelly’s enduring search for visual impact through simplicity.
The Suite of Twenty-Seven – including our Orange with Green – marked a turning point in Kelly’s career, introducing a graphic clarity and a directness of process that would influence his later paintings, sculpture, and further printmaking. Our work was originally sold at Susan Sheehan Gallery, a leading specialist in prints, which helped bring artists including Vija Celmins, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Joan Mitchell, Edward Ruscha, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol to the public during the 1960s - incorporating the medium as a central element of their artistic practices. Orange with Green is held in major museum collections and has been exhibited internationally, including the Norton Simon Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.