Ellsworth Kelly

Ten Lithographs (1970) was the first of many successful projects undertaken by Ellsworth Kelly (American, born 1923) with Gemini G.E.L., a print workshop that became known for its willingness to produce prints of large size and unusual complexity.

Workshop owner Kenneth Tyler devised inventive ways to print the flat expanses of pure color and crisp edges of Kelly’s abstract shapes, employing a special, smooth paper that holds the ink on its surface rather than absorbing it. The resulting lithographs capture the pulsating luminosity of color so important in Kelly’s work, which is based on shapes found in architectural settings, such as structural voids and cast shadows.