LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to the life and artistic legacy of
Ellsworth Kelly, American painter, sculptor, and printmaker

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to honor citizens of
New York State whose life and work has made a significant impact in
their field; and
WHEREAS, Ellsworth Kelly of Spencertown, New York, died on December
27, 2015, at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, Citizens of New York and people around the world have been
inspired and influenced by the genius of Ellsworth Kelly's paintings and
sculptures for decades; and
WHEREAS, Born on May 31, 1923, in Newburgh, New York, Ellsworth Kelly
was the son of Allan and Florence Kelly; he spent his early years in New
Jersey with his parents and two brothers; and
WHEREAS, As a young man, Ellsworth Kelly attended the Pratt Institute
in Brooklyn, New York, for technical art and design in 1941; two years
later, he joined the United States Army and served in the "camouflage
unit" in which he joined the effort to distract enemy forces with
inflatable decoy tanks; there were many other artists and designers who
served alongside him in the Army; and
WHEREAS, After being discharged in 1945, Ellsworth Kelly attended the
Boston Museum of the Fine Arts School from 1946-1948; and
WHEREAS, In 1948, under the G.I. Bill, he moved to live and study in
Paris; while there he was inspired by the Renaissance, Picasso, Byzan-
tine, and Romanesque art; he was interested in perspective and exper-
imented with geometric shapes and bold color; and
WHEREAS, While Ellsworth Kelly was in Paris, Abstract Expressionism
had taken root in the United States; in 1954, he returned to New York at
a time when painters were interested in their relationship with their
paintings; he was more intrigued by the relationship between the viewer
and the canvas; with a focus on space and form, he developed his own
artistic style which defied convention and expectation; and
WHEREAS, In 1970, in search of inspiration and more space to work,
Ellsworth Kelly moved to Spencertown, New York, where he lived with his
husband, photographer Jack Shear; and
WHEREAS, Over the next six decades Ellsworth Kelly's exceptional work
reached a global audience; his art has been on exhibition at The Museum
of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many others; it
has also reached galleries and museums across the world in Paris, Spain,
Tokyo, Amsterdam, and Buenos Aires, among others; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Ellsworth Kelly leaves behind a legacy which will long
endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all
he knew and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to the life and artistic legacy of Ellsworth Kelly, American
painter, sculptor, and printmaker; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to his husband Jack Shear, and his brother David Kelly.