Dan Christensen (1942-2007) is widely recognized as one of America’s foremost color abstractionists. Over the course his lengthy career, Christensen was devoted to exploring and expanding the constantly shifting trends of 20th century abstraction.

Christensen established his reputation at the end of the 1960s, by using spray guns to create colorful stacks, loops, and lines in his artworks. This body of work was considered by the legendary art critic Clement Greenberg among the most original abstract paintings of the decade.

Unlike many of his contemporaries who dedicated themselves to a signature style, Christensen was unrelentingly curious and allowed his dynamic version of abstraction to evolve as he tried new techniques and aesthetics.

During the 1980's in particular, Christensen focused on experimenting with different forms of washing, spraying, scraping and layering colours over top of each other. The works from Christensen's late period combine the gestural drama of Abstract Expressionism with the stained surface look popularized by the color field artists.

The aesthetic complexity he achieved with these combined techniques are perfectly demonstrated in this later untitled work (aka "Pistachio"). With an incredibly light and gentle color palette, Christensen contrasts the soft background with confident single explosions or bursts that recall Abstract Expressionism, notably Willem de Kooning.

Over the course of Christensen's lengthy career, he has had numerous solo exhibitions in both galleries and renowned institutions across America and beyond. His works can be found in such museums including the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Metropolitan, the MoMA, and the Albright-Knox Gallery, among many others.

Note: this work is sold unframed.