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At the center of this abstract composition, a black circle is layered over an area of pale aqua, curving like a rain puddle, against a background of forest green in this nearly square painting. The edge of the black circle is lined with periwinkle blue around the bottom left half. A few streaks of the blue seep or drip into the black circle. Above the center of the large black circle, a delicate white circle is drawn around a small white dot, and a swipe of scarlet red curves around the bottom half of the white circle. The aqua form is serrated at the top right and bulges with curves and spikes around the rest of the circle. One pointed, aqua-colored spike at the bottom left is painted over with swirls and scrolls in the scarlet red and periwinkle blue. More periwinkle blue squiggles and lines are drawn against the aqua field, especially around its perimeter. The area filling the space between the aqua puddle and the edge of the canvas is pine green to the top and left, and is streaked with teal green along the bottom and right edges. The artist signed and dated the work in the lower right corner: “Barnett Newman 1946.”

Barnett Newman

Pagan Void, 1946

Not on View

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

overall: 83.8 x 96.5 cm (33 x 38 in.)

framed: 87.3 x 99.7 x 4.4 cm (34 3/8 x 39 1/4 x 1 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Annalee Newman, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art

Accession Number

1988.57.1

Artists / Makers

Barnett Newman (artist) American, 1905 - 1970

Image Use

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Inscription

lower right: Barnett Newman 1946

Provenance

Annalee Newman; gift 1988 to NGA.

Associated Names

Newman, Barnett, Mrs.

Exhibition History

1972: Barnett Newman, Museum of Modern Art, New York; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Tate Gallery, London; Grand Palais, Paris, 1971-1972, no. 5, repro. in Paris catalogue.

1978: Abstract Expressionism: The Formative Years, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1978.

1986: The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985, travelling exhibition, organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1986-1987.

1991: Art for the Nation: Gifts in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1991, unnumbered catalogue, color repro.

1994: The Sublime is Now: The Early Work of Barnett Newman, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; The Saint Louis Art Museum; The Pace Gallery, New York, 1994, no. 35, repro.

1996: Face á l'Histoire 1933-1996: L'artiste moderne devant l'événement historique, Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1996-1997, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1999: The American Century: Art and Culture, 1900-2000. Part I, 1900-1950, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1999, not in catalogue.

2001: Vital Forms: American Art and Design in the Atomic Age, 1940-1960, Brooklyn Museum of Art; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; San Diego Museum of Art; Phoenix Art Museum, 2001-2003, no. 62, repro. (shown only Brooklyn).

2002: Barnett Newman, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Tate Modern, London, 2002-2003, pl. 13.

2008: Traces du Sacré, Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2008-2009, unnumbered catalogue, repro. (shown only in Paris).

2010: Barnett Newman: Dialogue Between Man and Work, Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Sakura-shi, Japan, 2010, no. 4, repro.

2012: In The Tower: Barnett Newman, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2012-2013, unnumbered brochure.

Bibliography

1992: American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 241, repro.

2006: David Smith: A Centennial. Exh. cat. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London. New York, 2006