Bethlehem
- Date
- 1959–60
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- possibly associated with
- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
- made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 247
- Dimensions
- 62 1/4 × 78 1/4 in. (158.1 × 198.8 cm)
framed: 63 3/8 × 79 1/4 in. (161 × 201.3 cm) - Credit Line
- Given by Sam J. Levin and Audrey L. Levin
- Rights
- © The Franz Kline Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY
- Object Number
- 24:1992
NOTES
Dark, velvety bands of paint intersect against fields of radiant white. Franz Kline’s cruciform composition creates expressive tension through a set of formal oppositions: black and white, subject and background, horizontal and vertical. While these angular forms may recall the iron girders or wooden beams of an industrial structure, visual reference gives way to overall abstraction. Often inspired by the stark landscapes of his home state, Kline named many of his abstract paintings, including Bethlehem, after Pennsylvania towns and counties.
Provenance
1960 -
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY, USA [1]
by 1962 - 1992
Samuel J. Levin and Audrey L. Levin (1914-1991), St. Louis, MO, USA [2]
1992 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Audrey L. Levin [3]
Notes:
[1] The painting was exhibited in "New Paintings by Franz Kline" at the Sidney Janis Gallery from March 7 to April 2, 1960 and is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue.
[2] A label for Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery on the back of the stretcher indicates that the Levins loaned Bethlehem to the gallery in 1962 for the exhibition "18th, 19th, and 20th Century Paintings."
According to correspondence between the Museum and the Trustees of the Audrey L. Levin Revocable Trust, after Audrey L. Levin died, the painting remained part of her estate under the care of the Trustees, until the Museum accessioned the work in 1992 [letter dated January 29, 1992, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 18, 1992.
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY, USA [1]
by 1962 - 1992
Samuel J. Levin and Audrey L. Levin (1914-1991), St. Louis, MO, USA [2]
1992 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Audrey L. Levin [3]
Notes:
[1] The painting was exhibited in "New Paintings by Franz Kline" at the Sidney Janis Gallery from March 7 to April 2, 1960 and is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue.
[2] A label for Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery on the back of the stretcher indicates that the Levins loaned Bethlehem to the gallery in 1962 for the exhibition "18th, 19th, and 20th Century Paintings."
According to correspondence between the Museum and the Trustees of the Audrey L. Levin Revocable Trust, after Audrey L. Levin died, the painting remained part of her estate under the care of the Trustees, until the Museum accessioned the work in 1992 [letter dated January 29, 1992, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 18, 1992.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.