Four Xs in Red
Date
1938
Artist
Josef Albers, American, b. Bottrop, Germany, 1888–1976
Provenance
The Artist, Black Mountain College, North Carolina, 1938- Orange, Connecticut, June/July 1968
Joseph H. Hirshhorn (via Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 30 July 1968), 30 July 1968-1974
Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1974
Exhibition History
Compiled by V. Fletcher 1979-80, amended 2009:
ARTIST'S GALLERY, NY. "Josef Albers," 6-31 Dec 1938, no. 12 (lent by the artist).
NEW ART CIRCLE, NY. "Josef Albers," 2-17 Jan 1945, no. 4.
MEMPHIS ACADEMY OF ARTS. "Twenty-Five Paintings by Josef Albers," 15-28 Jan 1947, no. 11.
CALIFORNIA PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, San Francisco. "Josef Albers," September 1947.
CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM. "Josef Albers," Oct 1949, no. 5 (lent by artist).
ALLEN R. HITE ART INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, KY. "Josef Albers," 17 April-27 May 1950, ill. on cover, listed (no. 2).
ALEXANDRIA STUDIO GROTTO (location unknown). "Josef Albers," May 1951, no. 11.
WADSWORTH ATHENEUM, Hartford. "Josef & Anni Albers," 8 July-2 August 1953, no. 11.
YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, New Haven. "Josef Albers," 25 April-18 June 1956, no. 18, catalog essay by George H. Hamilton, fig. 28, pp. 26, 47.
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, Raleigh. "Josef Albers," 3 Feb-11 March 1962, no. 1 (signed LR: "A" dated 1938; lent by the artist, New Haven, 18 x 18 inches).
WASHINGTON GALLERY OF MODERN ART, Washington, DC. "Josef Albers: The American Years," 30 Oct-31 Dec 1965, no. 15. TOUR: ISSAC DELGADO MUSEUM OF ART, New Orleans, 23 Jan-27 Feb 1966; SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF ART, 2-26 June; ART GALLERY, University of California, Santa Barbara, 8 July-7 Sept; ROSE ART MUSEUM, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 23 Sept-29 Oct 1966.
ART MUSEUM, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, New Jersey. "Josef Albers: Paintings and Graphics 1917-1970," 5-26 Jan 1971, essay by Peter Morrin, no. 4, p. 12.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF ARTS, New York. "Geometric Abstraction of the 1930's," 5 November-3 December 1972, no. 1. TOUR: BUTLER INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN ART, Youngstown, Ohio, 25 February-18 March 1973.
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. "Josef Albers," 27 September 1979-18 February 1980, no cat.
ANTIGUO COLEGIO DE SAN ILDEFONSO, Mexico City, "Anni and Josef Albers: Latin American Journeys," 6 November 2007-23 April 2008.
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. "Josef Albers: Innovation and Inspiration," 13 February-11 April 2010, no cat.
FUNDACIÓN JUAN MARCH, Madrid. "Josef Albers: Minimal Means, Maximum Effect," 28 March-6 July 2014, no. 22, color ill. pg. 69.
Published References
UNSIGNED. L'Art Abstrait (Paris, Maeght, 1950), ill. (upside down).
GOMRINGER, EUGEN. Josef Albers (New York: Wittenborn, 1968), pp. 63-64, color pl. p. 72.
UNSIGNED. "Josef Albers on Tour," The New Republic (21 September 1965), p. 34.
FINKELSTEIN, IRVING. The Life and Art of Josef Albers (New York University, Ph. D., 1967), vol. 1, pp. 125-127, fig. 95 (as 1938, 18 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches, collection of the artist).
UNSIGNED. Art Museum, Princeton University, New Jersey, Newsletter (January 1971), ill. of installation with our work in foreground.
See more items in
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
School
Geometric Abstraction
Credit Line
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, Gift of the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1974
Data Source
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Accession Number
74.9
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on fiberboard
Dimensions
18 1/8 x 18 1/8in. (46 x 46cm) framed: 21 3/4 x 21 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (55.2 x 55.2 x 3.8 cm)
