The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 24, 2025

Vertically oriented, abstract oil painting with streaking, smeared paint strokes creating a blurred effect. A dark red section gathers in the center, roughly surrounded by thick lines in light blue and dark grey. Light orange streaks cut through the upper left corner and white colors the edges when not intercepted by mostly vertical, streaking strokes in the other colors. A strip of white also marks the center right.

Crest

1958

Jack Tworkov

(American, born Russian Empire [now Poland], 1900–1982)
America
oil on canvas
Unframed: 190.5 x 149.8 cm (75 x 59 in.)
Contemporary Collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art 1962.33
© Estate of Jack Tworkov / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This painting was exhibited at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962.

Description

According to the artist, Crest was inspired by the land and sea of coastal Cape Cod near Provincetown, MA, where he maintained a summer studio. However, the painting is not a specific record of a scene; rather, it is an emotional response to the forms and forces of nature.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 202 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 202 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 253 archive.org
    Hinson, Tom E. "Recent Paintings by Richard Diebenkorn and Jack Tworkov." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 67, no. 2 (1980): 31-40. Reproduced: p. 36; Mentioned: p. 31-40 www.jstor.org
    20-seiki kaiga no shintairiku: Nyū Yōku sukūru: Porokku, de Kūningu ... soshite genzai [Founders and Heirs of the New York School = 20世紀絵画の新大陸 : ニューヨーク・スクール:ポロック, テ・クーニング. . . そして現在]. Japan: Yomiuri Shinbunsha, 1997. Reproduced: p. 50
  • Jack Tworkov: Against Extremes/Five Decades of Painting. Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA (organizer) (July 9-August 22, 2010).
    Founders and Heirs of the New York School. Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan (January 25-March 16, 1997); Miyagi Museum of Art, Sendai (April 5-May 25, 1997); Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki (June 28-August 3, 1997).
    Works from the Contemporary Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 1-October 15, 1969).
    Jack Tworkov. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (organizer) (March 25-May 3, 1964); Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington, DC (May 8-June 21, 1964); Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA (July 6-August 16, 1964); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (August 31-October 4, 1964); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (January 4-February 7, 1965); The Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA (February 22-April 4, 1965).
    Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
    Masterpieces of Art. Century 21 Exposition, Seattle, WA (organizer) (April 21-September 4, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=Crest|url=false|author=Jack Tworkov|year=1958|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.33