Provenance

Vincent Melzac

American, 1914 - 1989

Explore selected works

See all 11 works of art
Scarlet-red dashes create loose vertical lines against a bright white background that fill this vertical abstract painting. Most of the dashes are vertical but some slant at an angle. The artist signed and dated the work with white paint in the lower right corner, “AWT 73.”
Alma Thomas, Red Rose Cantata, 1973, acrylic on canvas, Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1976.6.1

Red Rose Cantata

Alma Thomas · 1973 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  1976.6.1

The image shows swirling lines and soft geometric shapes in earthy browns, blues, and reds blending into each other. The forms resemble layered clouds or rolling waves. The colors and shapes convey movement and interaction.
Paul Jenkins, Phenomena Sound of Sundials, 1971, oil on canvas, Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1972.45.1

Phenomena Sound of Sundials

Paul Jenkins · 1971 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1972.45.1

In this painting, large irregular black shapes are spread unevenly across a vivid red background. The biggest black shape stretches from the center of the painting to the bottom right corner, with two smaller ones on top of it and two in the bottom left corner. Some of the shapes contain lines or small patches of red, and some of the red background is crossed with thin black lines. Above center, a small white shape appears, closed in by the black shapes and lines of red. Other, smaller patches of white appear across the painting, especially in places where the red and black sections meet.
Matsumi Kanemitsu, Border Shift, 1959, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1970), 2015.19.136

Border Shift

Matsumi Kanemitsu · 1959 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.19.136

The image displays an arrangement of bold lines and geometric shapes, including rectangles and diagonal bands. The top half of the composition features horizontal bands in bright blue, warm yellow, and muted grey. The lower half shows angled bands in deep purple, rich green, earthy olive, and beige.
Jack Bush, Swim, 1967, acrylic on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1971), 2015.19.135

Swim

Jack Bush · 1967 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.19.135

The image displays a geometric composition of interconnected shapes, primarily triangles and parallelograms. The pattern forms a three-dimensional cube-like structure with vibrant colors such as pink, red, orange, blue, and gray. The shapes and colors interact to create depth and dimension, resembling a corner of an abstract sculpture.
Paul Reed, Lou Stovall, The Workshop, Inc., Barcelona, 1969, color screenprint on wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1971), 2015.19.2512

Barcelona

Paul Reed, Lou Stovall, The Workshop, Inc. · 1969 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.19.2512

The image shows a large, irregular black square-like shape at the center with a diagonal purple line across it. This composition is framed by a wide, horizontal band of muted gold at the top and bright red at the bottom. The colors and shapes create an abstract landscape appearance.
Jack Bush, Spain #1, 1962, Magna on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1969), 2015.143.24

Spain #1

Jack Bush · 1962 · Magna on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.143.24

This nearly square, abstract painting is filled with circles within circles, like nested rings, each of a single bright color against the ivory white of the canvas. Each ring is made up of a series of short, rectangular dashes, and some bands are narrower while others are a bit wider. The majority of the rings are crimson and brick red, and they are interspersed with bands of lapis blue, army green, and pale pink. One of two pumpkin-orange bands is the smallest, innermost ring at the center. There is one aqua-blue colored ring just inside a pale, shell-white ring, which is the first to get cropped by the edges of the canvas. A few red, green, and blue rings beyond the white band are only seen at the corners of the canvas.
Alma Thomas, Pansies in Washington, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1972), 2015.19.144

Pansies in Washington

Alma Thomas · 1969 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.19.144

The image shows a circular array of evenly spaced colorful circles against a plain background. Red, green, blue, purple, and black hues are used in a symmetrical fashion. The layout of circles resembles the face of a clock or a decorative wreath, lacking numbers or other typical decorative elements.
Thomas Downing, Ring Three, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1969), 2015.19.131

Ring Three

Thomas Downing · 1969 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.19.131

Vertical bands of vibrant, saturated color are created with upright dashes of paint in this abstract, square painting. The colors range widely from primary colors to intense jewel tones, and there is no repeating pattern. The dashes are also varying widths, and bands occasionally repeat so there could be two or more of a single color before another shade marches up the canvas.
Alma Thomas, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1972), 2015.19.145

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Alma Thomas · 1969 · acrylic on canvas ·  Accession ID  2015.19.145

The image consists of intersecting geometric shapes creating angular lines and vibrant planes of color. The shapes resemble a fragmented 3D object or kaleidoscope of angular facets, resembling a modern abstract composition. Bold colors like green, pink, blue, and beige are used, forming a complex and creative pattern.
Paul Reed, Zig-Field, 1970, color screenprint on wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1971), 2015.143.161

Zig-Field

Paul Reed · 1970 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.143.161