Influenced by Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning, Mitchell turned to abstraction in the early 1950s. She became one of the few women, alongside Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner, to achieve recognition as Abstract Expressionism became the dominant genre in post-war art. Of all the young, or second generation, Abstract Expressionist painters, she remained the most faithful to the original ideals of spontaneity, individuality, and gesture.
Her artworks are distinguished by vigorous, varied brushwork and a daring sense of color. There is frequently an unresolved tension between figure and ground. While these qualities aligned her with the New York School, her work’s lingering connection to the external world—its evocation of natural sensations like light and movement—set it apart. Mitchell moved permanently to France in 1959, and European values or approaches to art-making certainly influenced her output.Â
While she spent her early career in New York, the artist eventually moved to the French countryside. Her work morphed to incorporate palettes and shapes that reflected her pastoral surroundings. Landscapes and sunflowers were some of Mitchell's favourite motifs. Mitchell's lithographs extend her painting practice, the works highlighting the medium itself.
This lovely etching is evocative of the artist's expressive markmaking. Rendered at an intimate scale in earthy tones, the image illustrates the weedy, intertwined web of a sunflower field. By washing a light color onto the centres of the floral shapes, Mitchell grounds her abstraction and offers viewers a reminder of her beloved subject.
Joan Mitchell is one of the most valuable artists from the 20th century. Her auction record stands at $29.2 million USD. Paintings regularly achieve upwards of $15 million. Today, Mitchell’s work is held in leading museums worldwide. A major retrospective of her work was co-organized by SFMOMA and the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2021, followed by a joint exhibition with Claude Monet at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2022–23. We were particularly moved by the 2018 exhibition and catalog: Mitchell/Riopelle: Nothing in Moderation organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario.
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“Sunflower I"
France, 1972
Color etching and aquatint on Arches paper
Signed and numbered by the artist, lower edge of plate
Edition: EA (Ă©preuve d'artiste, artist proof), outside the edition of 50
Published by Maeght Editeur, Paris
Printed by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris
19.5"H 15.5"W (sheet)
22"H 18"W (framed)
Very good condition