Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930-2020), FLAG, circa 1968.

felt/aluminum, 145 x 150 cm
signed and described on applique on back: BETSY ROSS FLAG AND BANNER CO., INC | artist's handwritten signature:] RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ | EDITION OF 20

The presented fabric is an exceptional piece - one of 20 pieces that were created according to the design of Richard Anuszkiewicz, an outstanding representative of op-art. In 1959 Alfred Barr, then director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, purchased paintings by this artist for the collection, seeing him as one of the main creators of the direction. In 1965, Anuszkiewicz's works were presented at the exhibition "The Responsive Eye," a key exhibition for the movement. It should be mentioned that during his studies at Yale University, the painter studied with Josef Albers - a precursor of optical art and color theorist. And Albers' wife Anni is one of the most prominent 20th-century artists of artistic textiles. It is no coincidence, then, that some of the American abstractionists, such as Kenneth Noland and Frank Stella, were eager to experiment with transferring painting solutions into the weaving medium. The offered work is all the more interesting because it was created from felt using the appliqué technique. By applying narrow strips that form the sides of squares, relief was achieved. The convex effect and the softness of the material make the composition perceived differently from painting - the work by its haptics encourages the viewer to engage the sense of touch. At the same time, the composition has lost nothing of its luminosity and color saturation, so characteristic of Anuszkiewicz's painting.