

Black Yellow
1970
A forceful composition of two unmodulated color fields, Black Yellow (1970) exemplifies Ellsworth Kelly's lifelong investigation into the expressive potential of pure form and chromatic contrast. The lithograph positions a dense, absorbing black against a luminous yellow, creating a visual tension that feels simultaneously still and charged. Kelly's mastery lies in the precision of that boundary, where the two fields meet with an exactitude that transforms a seemingly simple arrangement into something both meditative and electric. At 86.4 by 101 centimeters, the work commands presence without relying on decorative complexity, trusting entirely in the power of color relationships to hold the viewer's attention. Produced in an edition of 55 and hand-signed by the artist, this lithograph represents Kelly at the height of his engagement with the print medium, a period during which he approached works on paper not as secondary documents of his painting practice but as autonomous objects worthy of the same formal rigor. The technical demands of achieving such flat, even color fields in lithography are considerable, and Kelly's success here reflects both his exacting standards and his collaborative precision with master printers. The result retains every quality of intention that defines his large-scale works, condensed into a format well-suited to a refined interior. For collectors, Black Yellow offers a compelling entry point into Kelly's hard-edge abstraction at a scale that integrates naturally into residential and institutional settings alike. The work arrives framed and is presenting an opportunity to acquire a signed, editioned work from one of the most consequential American artists of the twentieth century. Its two-color austerity has only grown in cultural resonance over time, and pieces from this period of Kelly's print output are consistently sought by serious collections worldwide.
- Medium
- Lithograph
- Sheet
- Framed
- Signed
- Yes
- Spotted At
- Gallery · Susan Sheehan Gallery
More by Ellsworth Kelly
Collectors of Ellsworth Kelly
Also spotted by
Artists in conversation

Frank Stella
American · b. 1936

Stella shared Kelly's commitment to hard edge abstraction and shaped canvases where the form of the support itself became integral to the composition. Both artists pursued a rigorous reduction of painting to pure color and geometry.

Kenneth Noland
American · b. 1924

Noland worked in the Color Field tradition with bold unmodulated areas of flat color arranged in simple geometric configurations such as targets and chevrons. His work shares Kelly's emphasis on color relationships and clean formal clarity.

Josef Albers
German American · b. 1888

Albers explored the optical and perceptual effects of flat pure color through precisely bounded geometric forms, closely paralleling Kelly's sustained investigation of how colors interact and assert themselves against one another.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion