Berkeley No. 52
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View on museum website →Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 148.9 x 136.8 cm (58 5/8 x 53 7/8 in.) framed: 156.1 x 151.3 x 6.3 cm (61 7/16 x 59 9/16 x 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of the Collectors Committee
Accession Number
1986.68.1
Art Historical Context
Richard Diebenkorn's *Berkeley No. 52* (1955) is a standout from his Berkeley series, painted during a transformative period when the artist lived and taught in Berkeley, California. This-scale oil on canvas—measuring nearly 59 by 54 inches—reflects Diebenkorn's engagement with abstract expressionism, influenced by the post-World War II New York School while drawing from the luminous Bay Area landscape. Created at a time when American art grappled with the balance between spontaneity and structure, it showcases his shift toward semi-abstract compositions rooted in observed reality. Diebenkorn...
About the Artist
Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr. (1922-1993) was one of the premier American painters of the postwar era, whose deeply lyrical abstractions and figurative works evoked the shimmering light and wide-open spaces of California. Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in San Francisco, Diebenkorn became a pivotal figure in elevating the status of California art on the international stage. His career encom...