$25,000

United States
1971

Large-scale, technically precise geometric stripe painting in blue, white, grey and yellow, on five separate panels, by Worcester, MA artist Terri Priest (1928-2014). Best-known for her paintings that updated Vermeer's women, Priest painted abstract canvases in the 1960s and early 1970s that can best be described as politically motivated Op Art employing Albers' and Itten's color theory. A vigorous and active proponent of civil rights, Priest's canvases contain a black line for every white (or non-black) line. The pulsating visual effects include the eye sensing more colors in the work "one plus one is equal to more than two" as she put it. An educator as well as an artist, Priest's work has been shown worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Worcester Art Museum, the De Cordova Museum and the California College of Arts and Crafts. The Art Museum at Holy Cross, where she taught for 17 years, had a retrospective of her career in 2005. The present work, an acrylic on five unframed canvas panels, with wraparound edges, reflects contemporary work by Frank Stella or Bridget Riley. Priest's precise lines are painted free-hand; she began experimenting with optical art in 1961, before Op Art became packaged as an art movement. The first panel (on the left) is signed and dated 1971; the others are signed T. Priest and numbered sequentially. Each panel measures 6' tall x 3' wide.

Condition
Excellent original condition with only very minor wear consistent with age and use.

Measurements
Height:  72 in.
Width:  180 in.
Depth:  2 in.

Specifications
Number of items:  5
Materials/techniques:  Acrylic on canvas