Ellsworth Kelly
He distilled the world into pure, radiant shapes of color, creating a visual language of breathtaking simplicity and joy.
1923–2015 (age 92)·American painter, sculptor, and printmaker·Birthday: May 31·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Ellsworth Kelly’s artistic journey began not in a studio but in the camouflage units of World War II, where his eye learned to break landscapes into deceptive patterns. Returning to America, he rejected the dominant angst of Abstract Expressionism, choosing instead a path of quiet observation. He found his subjects in the curve of a hillside, the shadow of a window, or the stark shape of a leaf, translating them into paintings and sculptures that were not representations but independent objects of color and form. Living and working for decades in the quiet of upstate New York, Kelly produced a body of work—from his early Parisian explorations to his monumental late-career panels—that insists on the sheer, physical pleasure of looking. His legacy is a world seen anew, where a single bright triangle or a gently arcing line can feel like a complete and perfect statement.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Ellsworth was born in 1923, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ellsworth Was Born
The biggest hits of 1923
#1 Movie
The Covered Wagon
Ellsworth's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1923Born
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1928Started school
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1936Became a teenager
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Could drive
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1941Could vote
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Turned 21
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1953Turned 30
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 40
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 50
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 60
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 70
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 80
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2015Died at 92
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- His 1951 painting 'Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance I' pioneered the use of random color arrangement and modular panels.
- Created the monumental sculpture 'Austin', a radiant stained-glass building, as his final work, installed posthumously in Texas.
- Received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2013.
- His 1956 work 'Broadway' was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, cementing his place in major institutional collections.
Did You Know?
He served in the U.S. Army's 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion, known as the 'Ghost Army,' which used inflatable tanks and sound effects to deceive enemies.
Kelly once mailed a postcard of a drawing of a plant to the poet John Ashbery, who then published it as the cover for his book 'Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror.'
He maintained a vast personal herbarium, pressing and cataloging thousands of plant specimens which directly inspired many of his drawings.
His first New York solo exhibition in 1956 was held at the Betty Parsons Gallery, which also represented Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
“I'm not interested in painting as it has been accepted for so long – to hang on the walls of houses as pictures. To hell with pictures – they should be the wall.”
