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Morris Louis — Gamma
Morris Louis

Gamma

1959

Gamma exemplifies Morris Louis's signature technique of pouring liquid acrylic paint directly onto unprimed canvas, creating luminous vertical streams of color. The composition features bold stripes in orange, blue, deep burgundy, and black that flow downward with soft, feathered edges, demonstrating the artist's mastery of color interaction and chromatic harmony. The pale background provides striking contrast to the saturated hues, which appear to float and vibrate against the neutral field. This work represents a pivotal moment in Abstract Expressionism, where the artist moved beyond gestural abstraction toward color field painting.

Medium
canvas
Overall

Notes

Contemporary Day Auction, Sotheby's, sale on 2026-05-15.

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Day Auction

May 15, 2026

Estimate: $3,000,000$4,000,000

For Sale

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About this work

Morris Louis, Gamma, 1959

Gamma exemplifies Morris Louis's signature technique of pouring liquid acrylic paint directly onto unprimed canvas, creating luminous vertical streams of color. The composition features bold stripes in orange, blue, deep burgundy, and black that flow downward with soft, feathered edges, demonstrating the artist's mastery of color interaction and chromatic harmony. The pale background provides striking contrast to the saturated hues, which appear to float and vibrate against the neutral field. This work represents a pivotal moment in Abstract Expressionism, where the artist moved beyond gestural abstraction toward color field painting.

Medium
canvas
Dimensions
overall: 206 x 136.5 cm
Year
1959
Seen at
Sotheby's, New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris

Related themes

Modernist Art, Mid Century Modern, Color Study, Luminous Abstraction, American Modernism, Color Relationships, Acrylic Pouring, 1950s Art, Non Representational, Vertical Stripes, Abstract Expressionism, Gestural Abstraction, Optical Art, Chromatic Abstraction, Minimalist Aesthetics, Pure Abstraction, Canvas Painting, Postwar American, Color Harmony, Color Field Painting

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