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Mid-twentieth century American abstractionist Frederick Hammersley first gained critical attention in 1959 for his bold hard-edge paintings with their unmodulated geometric forms defined by sharply delineated edges. Working at the same time as artists of the Minimalist movement, many of his compositions were based on the square and grid, yet he did not necessarily share Minimalism's more conceptual aims.

Born in Utah, Hammersley studied and taught in California before settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There he began making prints at the Tamarind lithography workshop. Hammersley's work has been rediscovered in recent years, and he is now recognized as a master classicist of abstraction.

Source: News, Jan Fen Mar 2014


Printer
Mary Sundstrom
Publisher
Tamarind Institute
DimensionsSheet: 16 × 12 in. (40.6 × 30.5 cm)
Image: 9 × 9 in. (22.9 × 22.9 cm)
Accession Number 2013.37
Classificationsprint
Copyright(https://nmartmuseum.org/education/research-and-reproductions)
SignedF. hamermersley (l,l graphite)
Inscriptions8/20 light switch 88 (l,l graphite) 88-316 grey rives BFK pro077.1988 (l,r verso graphite)
Catalogue raisonnéTamarind number 88-316 http://econtent.unm.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/tamarind/id/1127/rec/5
Edition8/20 Edition of 20, BAT, 7TP, 2T, 3PbP
MarksTamarind Lithography Worshop (l,l blind stamp, upper one). Lower one may be printer's blind stamp
Paper/SupportGray Rives BFK
ProvenanceArtist; Frederick Hammersley Foundation; Des Moines Art Center [gift of the previous, 2013]
light switch
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Frederick Hammersley
1973
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Frederick Hammersley
1973
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Frederick L. Owen
1932
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Reginald Marsh
1948
Photo Credit: Richard Sanders, Des Moines
Frederick Carl Frieseke
before 1914
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Frederick G. Quimby
date unknown
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
John Frederick Peto
ca. 1900-1902
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Charles Frederick Simonds
1981
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Clay Walker
date unknown