(New York, 1922-1997)

Abstract composition, circa 1950s, signed lower left "Stamos," title verso, watercolor and gouache on paper board, 16-7/8 x 22-5/8 in.; wood frame, 23-3/4 x 29-5/8 x 1-1/2 in.

Provenance: Betty Parsons Gallery, New York City, New York (label verso); Property of DM Gillett (inscribed verso); The Collection of Joe Matthews and John Shank, Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Note: A member of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, Theodoros Stamos was both shaped by and deeply admired artists such as Milton Avery, Kenneth Noland, and Mark Rothko, who, like Stamos, was part of the protest group “The Irascibles.” Early in his career, he gained recognition from influential figures including Betty Parsons, who began exhibiting his work in 1943.

That same year, Stamos was honored with a solo exhibition at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, a museum celebrated for its holdings of modern American art. In 1950, he also began a formative period of teaching at Black Mountain College in Black Mountain, North Carolina, where he spent four consecutive summers.

Inspired by the surrounding landscape of western North Carolina, Stamos developed imagery rooted in nature. Reflecting on this period, he recalled: “My studio looked over some beautiful farmland and mountains that were almost always shrouded in veils of mist.”