
The King
1960 · Oil on canvas
24 1/4 x 20" (61.4 x 50.7 cm)
Museum of Modern Art

Kurt Seligmann was an American painter and printmaker who synthesized Surrealist automatism with Jungian psychology, creating densely layered compositions that merged abstraction and figuration. Working in painting, etching, and collage, he transformed psychological states into complex visual narratives rooted in mythological imagery. Active in the postwar period, Seligmann treated the unconscious as a generative space rather than a subject to be illustrated, developing a distinctly personal approach that moved beyond orthodox Surrealist doctrine.
Source: Christies Artsy · Trust score: 100% · Updated 1mo ago