The drawings of Richard Diebenkorn

"Richard Diebenkorn first attracted notice for the highly personal form of Abstract Expressionism, often evocative of landscape, that he developed in the early fifties while working in the San Francisco Bay Area and in New Mexico. By 1956 his search for a new direction in his art had led him to representation, and over the next decade he gained increasing acclaim as the leader of Bay Area figurative painting. In 1966 he moved to Santa Monica in Southern California and a year later began the Ocean Park series of abstract paintings that have established him among the finest contemporary artists. Despite Diebenkorn's reputation as a painter, his drawings are not well known." -- Excerpt from MoMA fact sheet (see link).

"The first comprehensive overview of the drawings of Richard Diebenkorn, offering a rich and intimate view of forty years of his art, opens at The Museum of Modern Art on November 17, 1988. Organized by John Elderfield, director, Department of Drawings, THE DRAWINGS OF RICHARD DIEBENKORN reveals the importance of drawing to Diebenkon's achievement as an artist... This exhibition is the first full-scale survey of Diebenkorn's drawings, offering a rich and intimate view of his career. It contains approximately 180 works on paper, including drawings in ink, pencil, and charcoal; watercolors; gouaches; and works in mixed mediums. Over a third of the works have never been exhibited before." -- Excerpt from Press Release (see link).