MICHAEL GROSS American, 1944–2024 Vision in Black #14, December 2007 Oil on canvas. Verso titled, signed, and dated. Unframed. DIMENSIONS: Artwork: 36 x 36 inches $280-450
ARTIST PROFILE: Michael Benjamin Gross (1944–2024) was a prominent Washington, D.C.-area painter and printmaker whose career was defined by a masterful balance between a successful professional life as a corporate attorney and real estate developer and a lifelong, soul-driven dedication to Abstract Expressionism. Often described as possessing the "mind of a businessman and the soul of an artist," Gross produced a body of work characterized by a "kaleidoscope of color" and lyrical compositions of concatenated lines that sought to create order from chaos. Deeply influenced by masters such as Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, he refined his technical approach under the mentorship of William Christenberry at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, eventually establishing a reputation for texture-heavy, evocative canvases. His professional trajectory within the D.C. art scene reached a pinnacle in 2015 with two major solo exhibitions curated by Myrtis Bedolla: Michael Gross: Abstraction at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center and Abstraction II at Gallery B in Bethesda. These landmark shows followed earlier milestones, including his 2009 MONO/CHROMATICS exhibition at Pepco’s Edison Place Gallery and back-to-back shows at the Kathleen Ewing Gallery in 2003 and 2005, where he introduced his influential "Sources" series. Beyond his studio practice, Gross was a vital pillar of the local creative community, serving on the board of the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and leaving behind a legacy of vibrant, disciplined abstraction.
