The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

A vertically oriented oil painting features a massive, opaque black shape cutting across the center in solid swathes. A graceful curve sweeps down from the top left corner, while a sharp diagonal shears toward the bottom right. These dark expanses contrast with flat off-white triangular sections in the opposing corners. Subtle shadows trace the edges, suggesting the central form projects forward from the canvas surface.

Black Diagonal Relief

2006

Ellsworth Kelly

(American, 1923–2015)
America
oil on canvas
Overall: 213.4 x 120.7 x 7 cm (84 x 47 1/2 x 2 3/4 in.)
Gift of Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Jack Shear in honor of Agnes Gund 2026.5
© Ellsworth Kelly Foundation
Location: 224A Contemporary Corridor

Did You Know?

Many of Kelly’s black and white abstract compositions were inspired by observations from his everyday life.

Description

This painting comprises two black and white panels joined in relief. Made in the final decade of Ellsworth Kelly’s life, Black Diagonal Relief (2006) distills the artist’s career-long commitment to creating stark abstract compositions that are animated by the nuances of form, perception, and space. These interests come to the fore when the bright palette for which Kelly is best-known is absent. Black Diagonal Relief represents Ellsworth Kelly’s ongoing exploration of black and white across mediums. Kelly could focus on the formal essence of a work, rooted in line, shape, and structure.
  • 2006
    collection of the artist
    (Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, NY)
    Private Collection
    (Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA)
    Private Collection
    Phillips
    2026
    Ellsworth Kelly Foundation and Jack Shear, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2026–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Black Diagonal Relief|url=false|author=Ellsworth Kelly|year=2006|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2026.5