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Three-quarter view self-portrait of the artist rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Self-Portrait, 1926–27, oil on canvas, 19 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (49.5 x 36.2 cm). Art Institute of Chicago, Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection, 2018.293. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago. [AGCR: P010]

Landscape of five leafless trees rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Landscape, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 x 22 in. (46 x 55.9 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P009]

Still life on a table with glass cup, glass bottle, bowl, two white eggs, loaf of bread, knife and two pears rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Still Life, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P011]

Still life on a table with apples, pears, a white plate, and a ceramic urn rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Pears, Peaches, Pitcher, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 17 3/8 x 23 3/8 in. (44.1 x 59.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P015]

Still life on a table with an apple, open book, folded fabric, and an urn rendered in charcoal with erasure and smudging

Untitled, c. 1927–28, charcoal on paper, 19 x 24 7/8 in. (48.3 x 63.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D0011a]

Headless nude torso reclining with a pink and green vase rendered in thick red and pink oil paint in the style of Henri Matisse

Greek Torso, c. 1928–29, oil on canvas, 36 1/8 x 46 in. (91.8 x 116.8 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David McCulloch, 85.394. Photo: Katherine Du Tiel. [AGCR: P068]

Abstract cubist still life rendered in red, white, grey, blue and black oil paint

Composition of Forms on Table, 1928–29, oil on canvas, 33 x 43 in. (83.8 x 109.2 cm). Collection of the Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Dr. Roberta Carroll. Photo: Joshua Nefsky. [AGCR: P074]

Abstract cubist figure rendered in red, orange, white, blue-grey and black oil paint in the style of Pablo Picasso

Composition No. 3, c. 1929–30, oil on canvas, 33 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (85.1 x 59.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P078]

Abstract cubist figure rendered in white, blue-grey, and black on a green, yellow, brown, black, and white striped background in the style of Pablo Picasso

Blue Figure in Chair, c. 1934–35, oil on canvas, 48 x 38 in. (121.9 x 96.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P130]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes, a three-quarter view of a man with a shadow, and an écorché of a fish

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Fish and Head, c. 1931, graphite pencil on paper, 21 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (54.3 x 76.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0181]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes, geometric head, and an écorché of a fish set on a heavily cross-hatched background

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Fish and Head, c. 1932, ink on paper, 20 1/8 x 28 3/4 in. (51.1 x 73 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 00.6. Photo: Alex Jamison; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: D0187]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes and a human écorché set on a background with scribbling and cross-hatching

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Écorché, c. 1932, ink on paper, 26 1/16 x 34 1/8 in. (66.2 x 86.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman 80.54b. [AGCR: D0130a]

Abstract composition in brown and black ink with significant cross-hatching

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Enigma, c. 1932–34, ink and graphite pencil on paper, 22 x 28 5/16 in. (55.9 x 71.9 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and Andrew W. Mellon Fund, 1979.21.1. Photo: Courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington. [AGCR: D0176]

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia, c. 1934–36, ink, ink wash, and graphite pencil on paper 17 1/2 x 23 in. (44.4 x 58.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0462]

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia, c. 1934–36, ink, ink wash, and graphite pencil on paper 17 1/2 x 23 in. (44.4 x 58.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0462]

Three-quarter view of a woman with short black hair, no arm, and wearing an abstracted shirt

Portrait of Vartoosh, 1933–34, oil on canvas, 20 1/4 x 15 1/8 in. (51.4 x 38.4 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 66.2148. Photo: Alex Jamison; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: P111]

Three-quarter view of a man's head with black hair in the style of Pablo Picasso and three-quarter view of a bust of a woman with black hair in red clothing

Portrait of Myself and My Imaginary Wife, 1933–34, oil on cardboard, 8 5/8 x 14 1/4 in. (21.9 x 36.2 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 66.2150. [AGCR: P108]

Three-quarter bust of a man with black hair leaning on his elbow wearing a blue, gray, and green suit

Portrait of Jacob Kainen, c. 1934–37, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 in. (55.9 x 45.7 cm). Private collection. Photo: Alex Delfanne. [AGCR: P116]

Abstract composition with nautical and aviation motifs including propellors, engines, and planes rendered predominately in blue and gray

Drawing for Man's Conquest of the Air, Aviation Building, 1939 New York World's Fair, c. 1937–39, gouache and graphite pencil on paper, 5 7/8 x 23 7/8 in. (14.9 x 60.6 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0636]

Abstract composition of a map of the United States with aviation routes painted on a yellow, red, blue, and black background of geometric shapes

Mechanics of Flying, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 77 x 121 in. (195.6 x 307.3 cm). On extended loan to the Newark Museum of Art from the collection of The Port Authority of NY & NJ (L1.1983.1). [AGCR: P141v]

Abstract composition of mechanical equipment painted on a yellow, red, blue, and black background of geometric shapes

Mechanics of Flying, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 111 x 136 in. (281.9 x 345.4 cm). On extended loan to the Newark Museum of Art from the collection of The Port Authority of NY & NJ (L.1.1983.2). [AGCR: P141w]

Front-facing portrait of a woman with large eyes wearing a shawl in front of an architectural background with a column

Portrait of My Mother, c. 1936, charcoal on laid paper, 24 13/16 x 19 1/8 in. (63 x 48.6 cm). Art Institute of Chicago. Worcester Sketch Fund, 1965.510. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago. [AGCR: D0663]

Front-facing portrait of a boy in a yellow, brown, and orange suit holding flowers standing next to a seated woman with large eyes wearing a shawl and a white dress in front of a gray architectural background with a brown window

The Artist and His Mother, c. 1926–36, oil on canvas, 60 x 50 in. (152.4 x 127 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Gift of Julien Levy for Maro and Natasha Gorky in memory of their father 50.17. [AGCR: P115]

Front-facing portrait of a boy in a brown and pink suit holding flowers standing next to a seated woman with large eyes wearing a shawl and a pink dress in front of a orange-pink architectural background with a window

The Artist and His Mother, c. 1926–42, oil on canvas, 60 x 50 in. (152.4 x 127 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1979.13.1. Photo: Courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington. [AGCR: P114]

Abstract composition with red, green, lavender and white motifs

Xhorkom, 1936, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund and Partial Gift of David K. Anderson to the Martha Jackson Collection at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1999 (1999:8). Image courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Photograph by Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger. [AGCR: P148]

Abstract, geometric oil painting rendered predominately in pink, yellow, green, and white

Organization No. 2, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 in. (71.1 x 91.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P175]

Abstract composition with white, yellow and green motifs on a grey background rendered in thick oil paint

Oil Painting, 1938, oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 40 1/8 in. (74.3 x 101.9 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P216]

Abstract composition with predominately blue, yellow and black arabesque motifs on a yellow background

Garden in Sochi, c. 1940–41, oil on canvas, 25 1/4 x 29 1/8 in. (64.1 x 74 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P247]

Abstract composition with predominately blue, black, lavender, and white arabesque motifs on a green background rendered in thick oil paint

Garden in Sochi, 1941, oil on canvas, 44 1/4 x 62 1/4 in. (112.4 x 158.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase Fund and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang S. Schwabacher (by exchange), 335.1942. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P248]

Abstract composition with predominately yellow and white arabesque motifs on a brown background rendered in thick oil paint

Painting, c. 1941–42, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P250]

White vase with white and coral colored blooming flowers on a blue table with a pinkish background rendered in thick brush strokes

Flowers, c. 1938–42, oil on canvas, 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (21.6 x 26.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P231]

Green and orange vase with green, yellow, and pink colored flowers on abstract lavender and yellow background

Flowers, c. 1938–42, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 1/4 in. (55.9 x 46.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P234]

Vase with wild flowers with spots of pink, red, blue and yellow

Vase of Flowers, c. 1942, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 10 1/8 x 6 7/8 in. (25.7 x 17.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1040]

Abstract composition with intricate line work and plumes of color on a dark background

Carnival, 1943, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 20 x 27 in. (50.8 x 68.6 cm). Collection Jack and Frances Levy, New York. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1008]

Abstract composition with intricate line work, plumes of color, and a stick-figure bird

Untitled, 1943, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 20 3/4 x 27 7/16 in. (52.7 x 69.7 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Gift of Rook McCulloch, 77.2332. [AGCR: D0999]

Abstract composition with intricate line work, in black, with scribbles and spots of blue, green and yellow

Composition I, 1943, ink, crayon, and graphite pencil on paper, 18 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (47 x 62.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: © 2017 Christie’s Images Ltd. [AGCR: D1331]

Abstract composition with thin, cascading black lines with spots of yellow, red, green and blue on a gray background

Waterfall, 1943, oil on canvas, 38 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. (96.8 x 63.8 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 66.2153. Photo: Cathy Carver; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: P262]

Abstract composition with many different colored shapes on a brown background

The Liver is the Coxcomb, 1944, oil on canvas, 73 1/4 x 98 3/8 in. (186.1 x 249.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1956 (K1956:4). Image courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Photograph by Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger. [AGCR: P281]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of yellow, red, green, blue, and orange on a white background

Untitled, 1944, oil on canvas, 65 3/4 x 70 3/16 in. (167 x 178.2 cm). Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York), 76.2553 PG 152. Photo: David Heald. [AGCR: P285]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of yellow, red, blue, and orange on a mostly green background rendered in drippy oil paint

One Year The Milkweed, 1944, oil on canvas, 37 1/16 x 46 15/16 in. (94.1 x 119.3 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1979.13.2. [AGCR: P279]

Abstract composition with with spots of yellow, red, green, and orange on a white background rendered in drippy oil paint

How My Mother's Embroidered Apron Unfolds in My Life, 1944, oil on canvas, 40 x 45 1/16 in. (101.6 x 114.5 cm). Seattle Art Museum. Gift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection, 74.40. [AGCR: P296]

Abstract composition with with spots of purple and green on a pink, yellow and green background

Scent of Apricots, 1944, oil on canvas, 31 x 44 in. (78.7 x 111.8 cm). Private collection. Photo: Genevieve Hanson. [AGCR: P274]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring significant smudging and a red plume

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 x 24 in. (48.3 x 61 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Anonymous gift in memory of Marion Barthelme, 2011-042. Photo: Paul Hester; The Menil Collection, Houston. [AGCR: D1117]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of red, yellow, green and blue with a dotted circle

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on lavender-edged paper, 20 x 26 1/4 in. (50.8 x 66.7 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1061]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of yellow, pink, and blue

Virginia Landscape, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 x 25 in. (48.3 x 63.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1505]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of green, pink, red, and blue on a predominately yellow background featuring significant erasure

Virginia Landscape, c. 1944, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 18 1/2 x 23 5/8 in. (47 x 60 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1028]

Abstract composition with intricate line work and spots of red and blue with significant smudging

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 18 3/4 x 24 3/4 in. (47.6 x 62.9 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Promised Gift of Pat and Bill Wilson, Hillsborough, California. [AGCR: D1116]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of yellow, green, brown and blue with a black rectangle and green vertical lines on the right-most quadrant

Untitled, c. 1944–45, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 17 1/8 x 23 5/8 in. (43.5 x 60 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1092]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of black, yellow, and red on a tan foreground and a black background

Diary of a Seducer, 1945, oil on canvas, 50 x 62 in. (127 x 157.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, 340.1985. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P300]

From a High Place II, 1946, oil on canvas, 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P312]

From a High Place II, 1946, oil on canvas, 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P312]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of orange, green and yellow

Untitled, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 1/16 x 25 1/8 in. (48.4 x 63.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Edith and Lloyd Goodrich in honor of Juliana Force 82.48. [AGCR: D1262]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of yellow and orange and pink and green plumes

Drawing, Pastoral, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 23 x 29 in. (58.4 x 73.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1398]

Abstract composition with intricate lines work with spots of blue, yellow, and red with a red plume and significant smudging and erasure

Untitled, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 1/8 x 24 7/8 in. (48.6 x 63.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1288]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of orange, red and yellow with a central motif in the shape of a boomerang

Virginia—Summer, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on laid paper, 18 15/16 x 24 3/8 in. (48.1 x 61.9 cm). The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by Oveta Culp Hobby, 92.424. [AGCR: D1440]

Abstract composition of machine-line motifs with intricate line work with spots of orange and yellow and significant smudging and erasure

Composition II, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on laid paper, 18 7/8 x 25 3/16 in. (47.9 x 64 cm). The Baltimore Museum of Art: Nelson and Juanita Greif Gutman Collection, BMA 1967.20. Photo: Mitro Hood. [AGCR: D1459]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with plumes of pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, and green

Drawing, Agony, c. 1946–47, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 22 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (57.2 x 72.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1338]

Abstract composition on a gray background with motifs rendered through erasure and smudging

Gray Drawing (Pastoral), 1946–47, charcoal and pastel on paper, 50 3/8 x 61 7/16 in. (128 x 156.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1403]

Abstract composition with intricate line work on a gray background with motifs rendered through erasure and smudging

Drawing, The Plow and the Song, 1946, charcoal, pastel, graphite pencil, and oil on paper mounted on paper, 48 1/16 x 59 3/16 in. (122.1 x 150.3 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Avalon Foundation (1971.58.1). [AGCR: D1059]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of red, orange, yellow, and green on a tan background with significant smudging

Summation, 1947, charcoal, graphite pencil, and pastel on paper mounted on board, 79 5/8 x 101 3/4 in. (202.2 x 258.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Nina and Gordon Bunshaft Fund, 234.1969. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: D1486]

Abstract composition with the black lines and spots of green, yellow, and red on a gray washy background

The Betrothal, 1947, oil on canvas, 50 5/8 x 39 1/4 in. (128.6 x 99.7 cm). Yale University Art Gallery. Katharine Ordway Collection, 1980.12.45. Photo: Yale University Art Gallery. [AGCR: P340]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of green, red, and black on a yellow washy background

The Plow and the Song, 1947, oil on canvas, 50 1/2 x 62 5/8 in. (128.3 x 159.1 cm). Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. R.T. Miller Jr. Fund, 1952.16. [AGCR: P316]

Abstract composition with spots of green, red, orange, and yellow on a black drippy background with a terra-cotta colored underpainting

Pastoral, c. 1947, oil and graphite pencil on canvas, 44 x 56 in. (111.8 x 142.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Christopher Burke. [AGCR: P370]

Abstract composition with spots of green, lavender, black, and yellow on a washy yellow background with exposed white canvas

Pastoral, 1947, oil on canvas, 44 x 56 3/4 in. (111.8 x 144.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P347]

Abstract composition painted all-over in washy gray with spots of black and exposed white canvas

The Opaque, 1947, oil on canvas, 34 x 41 in. (86.4 x 104.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P346]

Abstract composition painted green all-over with black, blue, red, yellow, pink, and orange motifs

The Limit, 1947, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 50 3/4 x 62 in. (128.9 x 157.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P318]

Abstract composition painted all-over in washy gray with spots of black, purple, terra-cotta, blue, and yellow with areas of exposed white canvas

Summer Snow, 1947, oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 36 in. (77.5 x 91.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P349]

Abstract composition painted all-over in red with thin black lines with spots of black, yellow, and orange

Agony, 1947, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 1/2 in. (101.6 x 128.3 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. A. Conger Goodyear Fund, 88.1950. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P323]

Three-quarter view self-portrait of the artist rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Self-Portrait, 1926–27, oil on canvas, 19 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (49.5 x 36.2 cm). Art Institute of Chicago, Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection, 2018.293. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago. [AGCR: P010]

Landscape of five leafless trees rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Landscape, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 x 22 in. (46 x 55.9 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P009]

Still life on a table with glass cup, glass bottle, bowl, two white eggs, loaf of bread, knife and two pears rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Still Life, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P011]

Still life on a table with apples, pears, a white plate, and a ceramic urn rendered in oil paint in muted colors in the style of Paul Cezanne

Pears, Peaches, Pitcher, c. 1926–27, oil on canvas, 17 3/8 x 23 3/8 in. (44.1 x 59.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P015]

Still life on a table with an apple, open book, folded fabric, and an urn rendered in charcoal with erasure and smudging

Untitled, c. 1927–28, charcoal on paper, 19 x 24 7/8 in. (48.3 x 63.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D0011a]

Headless nude torso reclining with a pink and green vase rendered in thick red and pink oil paint in the style of Henri Matisse

Greek Torso, c. 1928–29, oil on canvas, 36 1/8 x 46 in. (91.8 x 116.8 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David McCulloch, 85.394. Photo: Katherine Du Tiel. [AGCR: P068]

Abstract cubist still life rendered in red, white, grey, blue and black oil paint

Composition of Forms on Table, 1928–29, oil on canvas, 33 x 43 in. (83.8 x 109.2 cm). Collection of the Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Dr. Roberta Carroll. Photo: Joshua Nefsky. [AGCR: P074]

Abstract cubist figure rendered in red, orange, white, blue-grey and black oil paint in the style of Pablo Picasso

Composition No. 3, c. 1929–30, oil on canvas, 33 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (85.1 x 59.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P078]

Abstract cubist figure rendered in white, blue-grey, and black on a green, yellow, brown, black, and white striped background in the style of Pablo Picasso

Blue Figure in Chair, c. 1934–35, oil on canvas, 48 x 38 in. (121.9 x 96.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P130]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes, a three-quarter view of a man with a shadow, and an écorché of a fish

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Fish and Head, c. 1931, graphite pencil on paper, 21 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (54.3 x 76.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0181]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes, geometric head, and an écorché of a fish set on a heavily cross-hatched background

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Fish and Head, c. 1932, ink on paper, 20 1/8 x 28 3/4 in. (51.1 x 73 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Joseph H. Hirshhorn Purchase Fund, 00.6. Photo: Alex Jamison; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: D0187]

Abstract composition with arabesque shapes and a human écorché set on a background with scribbling and cross-hatching

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Écorché, c. 1932, ink on paper, 26 1/16 x 34 1/8 in. (66.2 x 86.7 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman 80.54b. [AGCR: D0130a]

Abstract composition in brown and black ink with significant cross-hatching

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia: Enigma, c. 1932–34, ink and graphite pencil on paper, 22 x 28 5/16 in. (55.9 x 71.9 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and Andrew W. Mellon Fund, 1979.21.1. Photo: Courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington. [AGCR: D0176]

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia, c. 1934–36, ink, ink wash, and graphite pencil on paper 17 1/2 x 23 in. (44.4 x 58.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0462]

Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia, c. 1934–36, ink, ink wash, and graphite pencil on paper 17 1/2 x 23 in. (44.4 x 58.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0462]

Three-quarter view of a woman with short black hair, no arm, and wearing an abstracted shirt

Portrait of Vartoosh, 1933–34, oil on canvas, 20 1/4 x 15 1/8 in. (51.4 x 38.4 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 66.2148. Photo: Alex Jamison; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: P111]

Three-quarter view of a man's head with black hair in the style of Pablo Picasso and three-quarter view of a bust of a woman with black hair in red clothing

Portrait of Myself and My Imaginary Wife, 1933–34, oil on cardboard, 8 5/8 x 14 1/4 in. (21.9 x 36.2 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 66.2150. [AGCR: P108]

Three-quarter bust of a man with black hair leaning on his elbow wearing a blue, gray, and green suit

Portrait of Jacob Kainen, c. 1934–37, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 in. (55.9 x 45.7 cm). Private collection. Photo: Alex Delfanne. [AGCR: P116]

Abstract composition with nautical and aviation motifs including propellors, engines, and planes rendered predominately in blue and gray

Drawing for Man's Conquest of the Air, Aviation Building, 1939 New York World's Fair, c. 1937–39, gouache and graphite pencil on paper, 5 7/8 x 23 7/8 in. (14.9 x 60.6 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D0636]

Abstract composition of a map of the United States with aviation routes painted on a yellow, red, blue, and black background of geometric shapes

Mechanics of Flying, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 77 x 121 in. (195.6 x 307.3 cm). On extended loan to the Newark Museum of Art from the collection of The Port Authority of NY & NJ (L1.1983.1). [AGCR: P141v]

Abstract composition of mechanical equipment painted on a yellow, red, blue, and black background of geometric shapes

Mechanics of Flying, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 111 x 136 in. (281.9 x 345.4 cm). On extended loan to the Newark Museum of Art from the collection of The Port Authority of NY & NJ (L.1.1983.2). [AGCR: P141w]

Front-facing portrait of a woman with large eyes wearing a shawl in front of an architectural background with a column

Portrait of My Mother, c. 1936, charcoal on laid paper, 24 13/16 x 19 1/8 in. (63 x 48.6 cm). Art Institute of Chicago. Worcester Sketch Fund, 1965.510. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago. [AGCR: D0663]

Front-facing portrait of a boy in a yellow, brown, and orange suit holding flowers standing next to a seated woman with large eyes wearing a shawl and a white dress in front of a gray architectural background with a brown window

The Artist and His Mother, c. 1926–36, oil on canvas, 60 x 50 in. (152.4 x 127 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Gift of Julien Levy for Maro and Natasha Gorky in memory of their father 50.17. [AGCR: P115]

Front-facing portrait of a boy in a brown and pink suit holding flowers standing next to a seated woman with large eyes wearing a shawl and a pink dress in front of a orange-pink architectural background with a window

The Artist and His Mother, c. 1926–42, oil on canvas, 60 x 50 in. (152.4 x 127 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1979.13.1. Photo: Courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington. [AGCR: P114]

Abstract composition with red, green, lavender and white motifs

Xhorkom, 1936, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund and Partial Gift of David K. Anderson to the Martha Jackson Collection at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1999 (1999:8). Image courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Photograph by Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger. [AGCR: P148]

Abstract, geometric oil painting rendered predominately in pink, yellow, green, and white

Organization No. 2, 1936–37, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 in. (71.1 x 91.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P175]

Abstract composition with white, yellow and green motifs on a grey background rendered in thick oil paint

Oil Painting, 1938, oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 40 1/8 in. (74.3 x 101.9 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P216]

Abstract composition with predominately blue, yellow and black arabesque motifs on a yellow background

Garden in Sochi, c. 1940–41, oil on canvas, 25 1/4 x 29 1/8 in. (64.1 x 74 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P247]

Abstract composition with predominately blue, black, lavender, and white arabesque motifs on a green background rendered in thick oil paint

Garden in Sochi, 1941, oil on canvas, 44 1/4 x 62 1/4 in. (112.4 x 158.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase Fund and gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfgang S. Schwabacher (by exchange), 335.1942. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P248]

Abstract composition with predominately yellow and white arabesque motifs on a brown background rendered in thick oil paint

Painting, c. 1941–42, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P250]

White vase with white and coral colored blooming flowers on a blue table with a pinkish background rendered in thick brush strokes

Flowers, c. 1938–42, oil on canvas, 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (21.6 x 26.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P231]

Green and orange vase with green, yellow, and pink colored flowers on abstract lavender and yellow background

Flowers, c. 1938–42, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 1/4 in. (55.9 x 46.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P234]

Vase with wild flowers with spots of pink, red, blue and yellow

Vase of Flowers, c. 1942, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 10 1/8 x 6 7/8 in. (25.7 x 17.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1040]

Abstract composition with intricate line work and plumes of color on a dark background

Carnival, 1943, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 20 x 27 in. (50.8 x 68.6 cm). Collection Jack and Frances Levy, New York. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1008]

Abstract composition with intricate line work, plumes of color, and a stick-figure bird

Untitled, 1943, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 20 3/4 x 27 7/16 in. (52.7 x 69.7 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Gift of Rook McCulloch, 77.2332. [AGCR: D0999]

Abstract composition with intricate line work, in black, with scribbles and spots of blue, green and yellow

Composition I, 1943, ink, crayon, and graphite pencil on paper, 18 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (47 x 62.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: © 2017 Christie’s Images Ltd. [AGCR: D1331]

Abstract composition with thin, cascading black lines with spots of yellow, red, green and blue on a gray background

Waterfall, 1943, oil on canvas, 38 1/8 x 25 1/8 in. (96.8 x 63.8 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 66.2153. Photo: Cathy Carver; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. [AGCR: P262]

Abstract composition with many different colored shapes on a brown background

The Liver is the Coxcomb, 1944, oil on canvas, 73 1/4 x 98 3/8 in. (186.1 x 249.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1956 (K1956:4). Image courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Photograph by Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger. [AGCR: P281]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of yellow, red, green, blue, and orange on a white background

Untitled, 1944, oil on canvas, 65 3/4 x 70 3/16 in. (167 x 178.2 cm). Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York), 76.2553 PG 152. Photo: David Heald. [AGCR: P285]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of yellow, red, blue, and orange on a mostly green background rendered in drippy oil paint

One Year The Milkweed, 1944, oil on canvas, 37 1/16 x 46 15/16 in. (94.1 x 119.3 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1979.13.2. [AGCR: P279]

Abstract composition with with spots of yellow, red, green, and orange on a white background rendered in drippy oil paint

How My Mother's Embroidered Apron Unfolds in My Life, 1944, oil on canvas, 40 x 45 1/16 in. (101.6 x 114.5 cm). Seattle Art Museum. Gift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection, 74.40. [AGCR: P296]

Abstract composition with with spots of purple and green on a pink, yellow and green background

Scent of Apricots, 1944, oil on canvas, 31 x 44 in. (78.7 x 111.8 cm). Private collection. Photo: Genevieve Hanson. [AGCR: P274]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring significant smudging and a red plume

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 x 24 in. (48.3 x 61 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Anonymous gift in memory of Marion Barthelme, 2011-042. Photo: Paul Hester; The Menil Collection, Houston. [AGCR: D1117]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of red, yellow, green and blue with a dotted circle

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on lavender-edged paper, 20 x 26 1/4 in. (50.8 x 66.7 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1061]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of yellow, pink, and blue

Virginia Landscape, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 x 25 in. (48.3 x 63.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1505]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of green, pink, red, and blue on a predominately yellow background featuring significant erasure

Virginia Landscape, c. 1944, crayon and graphite pencil on paper, 18 1/2 x 23 5/8 in. (47 x 60 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1028]

Abstract composition with intricate line work and spots of red and blue with significant smudging

Untitled, 1944, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 18 3/4 x 24 3/4 in. (47.6 x 62.9 cm). San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Promised Gift of Pat and Bill Wilson, Hillsborough, California. [AGCR: D1116]

Abstract composition with intricate line work featuring spots of yellow, green, brown and blue with a black rectangle and green vertical lines on the right-most quadrant

Untitled, c. 1944–45, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 17 1/8 x 23 5/8 in. (43.5 x 60 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1092]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of black, yellow, and red on a tan foreground and a black background

Diary of a Seducer, 1945, oil on canvas, 50 x 62 in. (127 x 157.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, 340.1985. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P300]

From a High Place II, 1946, oil on canvas, 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P312]

From a High Place II, 1946, oil on canvas, 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x 61 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P312]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of orange, green and yellow

Untitled, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 1/16 x 25 1/8 in. (48.4 x 63.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 50th Anniversary Gift of Edith and Lloyd Goodrich in honor of Juliana Force 82.48. [AGCR: D1262]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of yellow and orange and pink and green plumes

Drawing, Pastoral, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 23 x 29 in. (58.4 x 73.7 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1398]

Abstract composition with intricate lines work with spots of blue, yellow, and red with a red plume and significant smudging and erasure

Untitled, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 19 1/8 x 24 7/8 in. (48.6 x 63.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Jerry L. Thompson. [AGCR: D1288]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of orange, red and yellow with a central motif in the shape of a boomerang

Virginia—Summer, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on laid paper, 18 15/16 x 24 3/8 in. (48.1 x 61.9 cm). The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by Oveta Culp Hobby, 92.424. [AGCR: D1440]

Abstract composition of machine-line motifs with intricate line work with spots of orange and yellow and significant smudging and erasure

Composition II, 1946, graphite pencil and crayon on laid paper, 18 7/8 x 25 3/16 in. (47.9 x 64 cm). The Baltimore Museum of Art: Nelson and Juanita Greif Gutman Collection, BMA 1967.20. Photo: Mitro Hood. [AGCR: D1459]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with plumes of pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, and green

Drawing, Agony, c. 1946–47, graphite pencil and crayon on paper, 22 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (57.2 x 72.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1338]

Abstract composition on a gray background with motifs rendered through erasure and smudging

Gray Drawing (Pastoral), 1946–47, charcoal and pastel on paper, 50 3/8 x 61 7/16 in. (128 x 156.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: D1403]

Abstract composition with intricate line work on a gray background with motifs rendered through erasure and smudging

Drawing, The Plow and the Song, 1946, charcoal, pastel, graphite pencil, and oil on paper mounted on paper, 48 1/16 x 59 3/16 in. (122.1 x 150.3 cm). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gift of the Avalon Foundation (1971.58.1). [AGCR: D1059]

Abstract composition with intricate line work with spots of red, orange, yellow, and green on a tan background with significant smudging

Summation, 1947, charcoal, graphite pencil, and pastel on paper mounted on board, 79 5/8 x 101 3/4 in. (202.2 x 258.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Nina and Gordon Bunshaft Fund, 234.1969. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: D1486]

Abstract composition with the black lines and spots of green, yellow, and red on a gray washy background

The Betrothal, 1947, oil on canvas, 50 5/8 x 39 1/4 in. (128.6 x 99.7 cm). Yale University Art Gallery. Katharine Ordway Collection, 1980.12.45. Photo: Yale University Art Gallery. [AGCR: P340]

Abstract composition with thin black lines with spots of green, red, and black on a yellow washy background

The Plow and the Song, 1947, oil on canvas, 50 1/2 x 62 5/8 in. (128.3 x 159.1 cm). Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. R.T. Miller Jr. Fund, 1952.16. [AGCR: P316]

Abstract composition with spots of green, red, orange, and yellow on a black drippy background with a terra-cotta colored underpainting

Pastoral, c. 1947, oil and graphite pencil on canvas, 44 x 56 in. (111.8 x 142.2 cm). Private collection. Photo: Christopher Burke. [AGCR: P370]

Abstract composition with spots of green, lavender, black, and yellow on a washy yellow background with exposed white canvas

Pastoral, 1947, oil on canvas, 44 x 56 3/4 in. (111.8 x 144.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P347]

Abstract composition painted all-over in washy gray with spots of black and exposed white canvas

The Opaque, 1947, oil on canvas, 34 x 41 in. (86.4 x 104.1 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P346]

Abstract composition painted green all-over with black, blue, red, yellow, pink, and orange motifs

The Limit, 1947, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 50 3/4 x 62 in. (128.9 x 157.5 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P318]

Abstract composition painted all-over in washy gray with spots of black, purple, terra-cotta, blue, and yellow with areas of exposed white canvas

Summer Snow, 1947, oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 36 in. (77.5 x 91.4 cm). Private collection. [AGCR: P349]

Abstract composition painted all-over in red with thin black lines with spots of black, yellow, and orange

Agony, 1947, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 1/2 in. (101.6 x 128.3 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. A. Conger Goodyear Fund, 88.1950. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY. [AGCR: P323]

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