FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, ST. PETERSBURG, FL. ACQUIRES IMPORTANT BOLOTOWSKY FROM REHS GALLERIES, INC.

Recently Rehs Galleries, Inc., New York City, had the pleasure of offering an important painting by Ilya Bolotowsky, a leading artist of the American Neoplasticism movement. Neoplasticism was originally developed by a group of Dutch artists, the most famous of which was Piet Mondrian, during the early 20th century. The group strove for the ultimate in simplicity and abstraction, reducing form to vertical and horizontal lines and color to the primaries, red, yellow and blue, along with black and white.

Bolotowsky was Russian by birth and came to the United States in 1923. During the 1930s, while experimenting with geometric abstraction, and studying the theories of the Dutch Neoplasticists, he became associated with, and a founding member of, The Ten; a group that rebelled against the limitations of the Academy and counted among its members Mark Rothko, Louis Schanker, and Adolph Gottlieb. The group had their first exhibition at the Montross Gallery in 1935 and continued to exhibit together for many years. In 1936 Bolotowsky helped form the American Abstract Artists group; to promote and foster an understanding of abstract art.

Bolotowsky’s Abstract (1951) has found a wonderful new home ... it is somewhat amusing to note that this important and rare work from the 1950s, created by an artist who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, can now be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida -- quite a change in climate.

An image of this painting has been attached. For high-resolution image, please contact the gallery.