Tomma Abts (b. 1967) is a German-born visual artist best known for her rigorous paintings and hard-edge abstraction. Abts has lived and worked in London, England since 1995.
Abts is recognized for the methodical approach to her work. Following a self-imposed protocol, Abts works exclusively on vertical canvases measuring 19 x 15 inches. From there, her process is marked by a combination of spontaneity and intuition, approaching each work organically without a plan or preconceived notion for the canvas.
Overtaken by bold patterns and thick applications of paint, Abts' pieces take on a sumptuous three-dimensional effect. Her characteristically dense canvases are a result of a painstaking process of heavy layers of paint accumulating over a lengthy period of time, sometimes years.
"Untitled (Triangle)" marks Abts' first foray into printmaking in 2009. This work was produced as part of a series of five prints created in collaboration with Crown Point Press, San Francisco.
Like the best of Abts' work, this dynamic print sparks the illusion of movement. Overlapping diagonal plates fill the work while their opposing painterly strokes pull and stretch the page in shifting directions.
Atypically, this work features an airy watercolor-esque effect, a result of Abts' technique which involved painting acid directly onto the plate. The outcome is an illuminated, pastel composition that serves as a meticulous example of Abts' hard-edge abstraction.
In 2006, Abts won the Turner Prize for her solo exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, and greengrassi, London. Abts' work is celebrated in public collections across the globe including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Tate Gallery (London), and the Art Institute of Chicago.
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"Untitled (Triangle)"
USA, 2009
Color spit bite aquatint with aquatint
Signed and numbered by artist
From an edition of 20
18"H 13"W (image)
23.25"H 17.5"W (work)
26.5"H 21"W (framed)
Very good condition.
Published by Crown Point Press, San Fransisco.
