Two Circles

Alexander Liberman American, born Ukraine
1950
Not on view
Alexander Liberman had a rich and varied career as a photographer, painter, sculptor, and, for 31 years, editorial director of Condé Nast publications. At the time this work was created, few others in New York were painting such explicitly geometric forms. This particular painting was chosen in 1954 for the exhibition "Younger American Painters" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, becoming the first and only work by Liberman to be publicly exhibited until 1960. In sharp contrast to the Abstract Expressionists' desire for unique, expressive paintings, Liberman noted later that his "whole theory" about his geometric works of this period were that they were endlessly "repeatable and renewable."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Two Circles
  • Artist: Alexander Liberman (American (born Ukraine), Kiev 1912–1999 Miami, Florida)
  • Date: 1950
  • Medium: Enamel on Masonite
  • Dimensions: 40 1/8 × 40 1/8 in. (101.9 × 101.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Tomkins, 1993
  • Object Number: 1993.452
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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