Ocean Park No. 10, c.1968

Richard Diebenkorn (1922 – 1993) was a chameleon-like artist who successfully broke artistic norms with his constant stylistic shifts. During an era when the art world scorned painters who could not easily be categorized, Diebenkorn transitioned from Abstraction to figurative work, and back to Abstraction. His figures were not static, but dynamic, animated and psychologically complex. Residing in California, Diebenkorn was part of a renaissance of figurative art called the Bay Area Movement. He was also the leader of West Coast Abstract Expressionism, painting in a distinct, geometric style replete with asymmetry. Diebenkorn’s exceptionally lyrical work was often inspired by Mozart and other composers he listened to as he painted.