(New York/Minnesota, 1916-1992)Untitled, abstraction, circa 1945, signed verso at bottom "64 R Pousette-Dart", watercolor and pen and ink on paper, 6-1/2 x 3-3/4 in.; fine gilt wood frame, 13-1/8 x 10 in.Note: The Forum 49 exhibition, held in 1949 at Gallery 200 in Provincetown, is often overlooked for its historical importance. It preceded the first celebrated exhibition of abstract expressionism, the Ninth Street Show in 1951. It was here that the "Irascibles" including the dean of abstraction, Hans Hofmann, with Motherwell, De Kooning, Pollock, Gottlieb and other first generation abstract expressionists, started a movement that would launch modern art in America. While Pousette-Dart was included in this first generation group, he later fiercely defended his independence through much of his career as an artist. His contributions are appreciated as foundational and are collected by important institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.The authenticity of this lot has been kindly confirmed byÿChris Pousette-Dart, Associate Director, The Richard Pousette-Dart Estate.Exhibited: Provincetown Art Association & Museum, Forum 49 Revisited, July 30-August 17, 1999, Provenance: Bert Walker Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts; Betty Krulik Fine Art, New York, New York floated, watercolor verso, tipped at top two corners; frame with abrasions