Member Lecture: Ellsworth Kelly-Portrait Drawings

While Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-2015) is remembered today for his enduring influence on post-war abstract painting, sculpture, and printmaking, the artist was also a dedicated and prolific portraitist, who drew likenesses of himself and his friends throughout his long life.
In this discussion of Ellsworth Kelly: Portrait Drawings, chair and curator of Prints and Drawings Kevin Salatino considers these little-known portraits-brought together as a coherent body of work for the first time in this exhibition-within the context of Kelly’s 70-year career. Salatino uncovers the complex relationships between these experimental, self-exploratory drawings and Kelly’s more public-facing work.
Support for Ellsworth Kelly: Portrait Drawings is generously provided by an anonymous donor.