Vija Celmins
Untitled (Sky)
1975
Medium: Lithograph
Sheet size: 16 1/2 x 20 1/8 inches
Frame size: 18 x 21 3/4 inches
Printer and Publisher: Cirrus Editions, Los Angeles
Edition size: 75, plus proofs
Catalogue Reference: MMA 9
Signed, dated, and editioned in pencil, lower margin
Vija Celmins is a Latvia-born artist who works in several mediums, including printmaking, charcoal, and oil painting. She arrived in the US aged 10, speaking no English, and found art as a way she could express herself without needing words. Early in her career, in the early 1960s, Celmins created several pop sculptures and representational paintings, including monochromatic panels. Much of her work reflects the photo-realistic, abstract, and minimalist styles, and nature and natural phenomena are themes depicted in many of her pieces. She painted a huge range of environments, from rocks to stars, from spider webs to the sea. She is well-known for focusing on organic details and embracing natural imperfection.
