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LOT 426

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Abstract geometric painting with yellow, turquoise, and brown shapes; features circles, triangles, a diagonal division, and two tall vertical bars forming a modern composition.
Abstract geometric painting with yellow, brown, and turquoise shapes, including circles, triangles, and vertical bars on a framed canvas.
Back of a framed piece with a curved metal hanging wire attached to two eyelet hooks on each side; a white tag with a number rests near the left end.
Abstract geometric painting with yellow, turquoise, and brown shapes; features circles, triangles, a diagonal division, and two tall vertical bars forming a modern composition.
Abstract geometric painting with yellow, brown, and turquoise shapes, including circles, triangles, and vertical bars on a framed canvas.
Back of a framed piece with a curved metal hanging wire attached to two eyelet hooks on each side; a white tag with a number rests near the left end.

Emil James Bisttram

1895-1976

Geometric Abstract

MEDIUM: Encaustic on paper

DIMENSIONS: 9 3/8 x 8 3/8 inches

ESTIMATE: $1,200.00 - $1,800.00

Signed and dated 40 lower left

Additional Information

Provenance: Private collection, Arizona

Emil James Bisttram (1895–1976) was a pioneering figure in American Modernism and one of the Southwest's most influential abstract painters. A founder of the Transcendental Painting Group, Bisttram sought to express universal spiritual principles through geometric form, harmonious composition, and carefully balanced color relationships. His innovative approach bridged European modernist ideas with a distinctly American vision, earning him a lasting place in the history of twentieth-century abstract art.

Geometric Abstract reflects the philosophical ideals that defined Bisttram's mature career. Through an elegant arrangement of interlocking geometric forms and a refined sense of balance, the composition invites contemplation beyond the physical image, emphasizing rhythm, proportion, and the underlying order of the natural universe. Rather than depicting the visible world, Bisttram creates a visual language of abstraction that explores harmony, consciousness, and spiritual experience. This work stands as an excellent example of the artist's enduring commitment to abstraction as a means of expressing timeless and universal ideas.

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