Knud Merrild
To Theo Van Gogh1951

On view:

Broad Contemporary Art Museum, floor 3

Artist or Maker: Knud Merrild
Title: To Theo Van Gogh
Place Made: United States
Date Made: 1951
Medium: Oil on masonite
Dimensions: 21 5/8 × 16 in. (54.93 × 40.64 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Knud Merrild
Accession Number: M.77.136.1
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Modern Art
Curatorial Notes: After initially settling in New York, Danish artist Knud Merrild relocated to Los Angeles in 1923. Associated with Post-Surrealism, a West coast-based strain of Surrealism, Merrild produced whimsical compositions using unusual materials and techniques. His unique Flux paintings comprise fluid, colorful swirls of diluted pigment. Work such as To Theo Van Gogh was made by dripping paint onto a wet support and turning the surface, thus incorporating chance into the artmaking process.

Wall label, 2021.
Selected Bibliography: Langsner, Jules; W. Osmun and Knud Merrild. Knud Merrild 1894-1954. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965.