Construction in Ochre
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Is this a painting, a sculpture, or both? Gertrude Greene is credited with having been the first American artist to create completely abstract wood reliefs such as this one. She was a founder (in 1936) of American Abstract Artists, an organization that promoted the work of American artists who felt that their art was overshadowed by their more famous European contemporaries.
Caption
Gertrude Greene American, 1904–1956. Construction in Ochre, 1941. Oil, wood, and Masonite on Masonite, 36 1/8 x 24in. (91.8 x 61cm) frame: 40 5/8 x 28 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (103.2 x 72.4 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Balcomb Greene, 66.230. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 66.230_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Construction in Ochre
Date
1941
Medium
Oil, wood, and Masonite on Masonite
Classification
Dimensions
36 1/8 x 24in. (91.8 x 61cm) frame: 40 5/8 x 28 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (103.2 x 72.4 x 4.4 cm)
Signatures
Signed verso in chalk: "Gertrude Greene / 1941"
Credit Line
Gift of Balcomb Greene
Accession Number
66.230
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
Did Greene live and work in New York? Did she attend art school?
Yes, Gertrude Greene was a native New Yorker whose parents owned a department store in Brooklyn. She studied art at the Leonardo da Vinci Art School in Manhattan.Her husband, Balcomb Greene, was also a well-known artist who explored abstraction in his art. He gave this work to the Brooklyn Museum.Another quick note: her maiden name was Gertrude Glass.
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