Elaine Kurtz (1928-2003) American, Abstract Wooden Sculpture on Stone Base. Smoothed sides with geometrically abstract angles. Felt underside to the square base. No visible signature. 

Condition: One side has come loose from the base but is still attached. No visible damage to exterior. Overall great. 

Size: 9 x 9 3/4 x 24 1/4 in. 

Elaine Kurtz (nee Kahn) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1928. She graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1949, and joined the staff as an instructor in painting and sculpture after marrying Jerome Kurtz in 1956. Throughout the 1970s and 80s she held numerous one-woman shows in Philadelphia and New York, and retired from teaching in the 90s after the College had changed to the University of the Arts. She began using earth and natural minerals in her work in the late 80s and early 90s, finding beauty in beach sand or farm soil, and having these natural materials sent to her studio from great distances, often incorporating geometric abstraction into her works as a counterpoint. After she passed away in 2003 her work gained significantly more attention, with a massive retrospective exhibition at Woodmere Art Museum in 2012. Today her pieces can be found in museums and galleries around the world, including the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and the Power Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Sydney in Australia. 

One side has come loose from the base but is still attached. No visible damage to exterior. Overall great.