Modern Design

Provenance: Gift from the artist circa 1934 to H. R. Hantke, Chicago Thence by descent German-born American abstract artist Paul Kelpe began his training in Germany. There he was exposed to modernism through works by Naum Gabo, El Lissitzky and Kurt Schwitters, and studied under such luminaries as Wassily Kandinsky and László Moholy-Nagy. Kelpe left Germany for the United States, living in New York for five years before moving to Chicago in 1930. In the Realism focused art scene of Chicago, his commitment to abstract art was seen as an oddity. Kelpe's first solo show opened in 1931 at Chicago's Little Gallery. By 1936, Kelpe became one of the original 39 founding members of the American Abstract Artists, along with Ray Kaiser (Eames) and Josef Albers. Lot 168 of this sale, Kelpe's hand-painted pipe cabinet integrates his abstract work into a three-dimensional form. It draws parallels to some of his most notable works, including his 1938 mural for the Williamsburg Houses in Brooklyn, New York. Kelpe's use of color and geometric shapes is reminiscent of works by Kurt Schwitters, as well as the popular Art Deco style of the era.