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Four Xs in Red

Hirshhorn

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Object Details

Artist

Josef Albers, American, b. Bottrop, Germany, 1888–1976

Provenance

The artist, Black Mountain College, North Carolina, 1938-New Haven, Connecticut, 1968 (via Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 30 July 1968)
Joseph H. Hirshhorn, New York, 30 July 1968-1974
Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1974

Exhibition History

ARTIST'S GALLERY, New York. "Josef Albers," 6-31 December 1938, no. 12 (lent by the artist).
NEW ART CIRCLE, New York. "Josef Albers," 2-17 January 1945, no. 4.
MEMPHIS ACADEMY OF ARTS. "Twenty-Five Paintings by Josef Albers," 15-28 January 1947, no. 11.
CALIFORNIA PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, San Francisco. "Josef Albers," September 1947.
CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM. "Albers," 27 October-22 November 1949, no. 5 (lent by the artist).
ALLEN R. HITE ART INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE. "Josef Albers," 17 April-27 May 1950, no. 2, cover ill.
ALEXANDRIA STUDIO GROTTO (location unknown). "Josef Albers," May 1951, no. 11.
WADSWORTH ATHENEUM, Hartford. "Josef & Anni Albers," 8 July-2 August 1953, no. 11.
YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, New Haven, Connecticut. "Josef Albers," 25 April-18 June 1956, no. 18, fig. 28; pp. 26, 47.
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, Raleigh. "Josef Albers," 3 February-11 March 1962, no. 1 (signed LR: "A" dated 1938; lent by the artist, New Haven, 18 x 18 inches).
WASHINGTON GALLERY OF MODERN ART, Washington, DC. "Josef Albers: The American Years," 30 October-31 December 1965, no. 15. Tour: ISSAC DELGADO MUSEUM OF ART, New Orleans, 23 January 1966-27 February; SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF ART, 2-26 June; ART GALLERY, University of California, Santa Barbara, 8 July-7 September; ROSE ART MUSEUM, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 23 September-29 October.
ART MUSEUM, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, New Jersey. "Josef Albers: Paintings and Graphics 1917-1970," 5-26 January 1971, no. 4, p. 12.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS, New York. "Geometric Abstraction of the 1930's," 5 November-3 December 1972, no. 1. Tour: BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART, Youngstown, Ohio, 25 February 1973-18 March.
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. "Josef Albers: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection," 27 September 1979-23 March 1980, no cat.
ANTIGUO COLEGIO DE SAN ILDEFONSO, Mexico City, "Anni and Josef Albers: Latin American Journeys," 6 November 2007-23 April 2008.
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. "Josef Albers: Innovation and Inspiration," 13 February-11 April 2010, no cat.
FUNDACION JUAN MARCH, Madrid. "Josef Albers: Minimal Means, Maximum Effect," 28 March-6 July 2014, no. 22, color ill. pg. 69.
VILLA HUGEL, Essen, Germany. "Josef Albers: Interaction," 16 June-7 October 2018, cat.

Published References

SEUPHOR, MICHEL. L'Art Abstrait (Paris: Maeght, 1950), ill. (upside down).
GOMRINGER, EUGEN. Josef Albers (New York: Wittenborn, 1968), pp. 63-64, colorpl. p. 72.
UNSIGNED. "Josef Albers on Tour," The New Republic (21 September 1965), p. 34.
FINKELSTEIN, IRVING. The Life and Art of Josef Albers (New York University, Ph.D., 1967), vol. 1, pp. 125-127, fig. 95 (as 1938, 18 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches, collection of the artist).
UNSIGNED. Art Museum, Princeton University, New Jersey, Newsletter (January 1971), ill. of installation with work in foreground.

Credit Line

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1974

Date

1938

Accession Number

74.9

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil on fiberboard

Dimensions

18 1/8 × 18 1/8 in. (46 × 46 cm)

See more items in

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection

School

Geometric Abstraction

Data Source

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Metadata Usage

Not determined

Link to Original Record

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py26d6f20e8-c84f-475a-99d5-0457642ff0f6

Record ID

hmsg_74.9

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The Color Red

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