"Dance Theatre of Harlem" radiates the kinetic energy and celebratory spirit that defined Burkhardt's lyrical output, those works he himself categorized among the happy ones. Produced in 1983 as a hand painted monoprint, the composition channels the rhythm and movement of live performance into a singular, unrepeatable graphic form, with Burkhardt's gestural painting applied directly to the print surface to produce a work that bridges the immediacy of painting and the structural rigor of printmaking. Measuring 53.3 by 33 cm and signed by the artist, this intimate yet vital work exemplifies the expressive freedom Burkhardt maintained throughout his long career, even as successive movements in American art sought to define or limit what painting could be. The provenance of this work carries its own cultural weight. Acquired in the early 1980s by Dr. Aurelio de la Vega, the internationally celebrated Cuban composer, conductor, and longtime professor at California State University Northridge, the piece entered a collection shaped by a lifelong engagement with the performing arts and avant-garde creative thought. That two such figures, each committed to the expressive and political possibilities of their respective disciplines, converged around this subject feels entirely appropriate. The Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell, was itself a radical act of artistic affirmation, and Burkhardt's response to it belongs to the optimistic, humanist current running through his decades of work. Hans Burkhardt occupies a singular position in twentieth century American art. A close colleague and studio partner of Arshile Gorky from 1928 to 1937, and a pivotal connector between New York's Abstract Expressionist milieu and the Los Angeles art world he joined in late 1937, Burkhardt developed a body of work of remarkable range and independence. Scholars including Donald Kuspit have identified him as the inventor of the abstract memento mori, yet works such as this one reveal an equally commanding gift for joy. Offered in very good condition with a certificate of authenticity, this monoprint represents a rare opportunity to acquire a work of genuine art historical significance with distinguished collecting provenance.