(New York 1922–1997)
White Field A, 1962 – 86, signed Stamos, further titled, signed, dated and inscribed with the measurements on the overlap, acrylic on canvas, 106.5 x 61 cm, stretcher

Provenance:
European Private Collection - acquired directly from the artist in 1987 (invoice available)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Theodoros Stamos explored the effects of colour and light early on through his mythical, expressive colour field painting. He belonged to the first generation of Abstract Expressionism and was the youngest member of what became known as "The Irascibles", alongside Pollock, de Kooning, Rothko, and others. In 1948 he was included in MoMA's iconic New American Painting exhibition and in numerous major exhibitions by this group in the following years.

His later career suffered a setback due to his involvement as an executor in the Rothko estate inheritance dispute, and from 1970 on he lived largely in Lefkada, Greece. Stamos’s paintings have a subtle and meditative effect and reflect his deep involvement with natural history and Far Eastern philosophies. They often evoke associations with atmospheric landscapes and cosmological elements such as light, earth, water and sky.

The abstract painting Whitefield A, with its interlocking colour fields of calligraphic brushstrokes in muted colours, is reminiscent both of a forest in the mist and thawing snow.