Artwork
Homage to the Square VI
Homage to the Square VI is a print by Josef Albers. It dates from 1967 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1967, this silkscreen print by Josef Albers presents a series of concentric squares rendered in flat fields of dark green, teal, pale gray and bright yellow. The composition is strictly geometric, with each square nested within the next, guiding the viewer’s eye inward toward the central hue.
Technique & Style
Albers employed the silkscreen process on Schoellers Hammer cardboard, a method that allows for uniform, unmodulated color areas. The work exemplifies his systematic exploration of color interaction, using simple forms and precise edges to investigate how adjacent hues affect perception.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to an unnumbered edition of 125 produced for Galerie der Spiegel in Cologne. Each impression bears Albers’ signature and was printed by Poldi Domberger. The pieces were packaged in a black cloth binder with a bilingual (English‑German) paper folder documenting the series.
Context
Part of Albers’ broader series of “Homage to the Square,” this work continues his investigation into the relational qualities of color, a theme he pursued throughout his teaching career at Yale. The inclusion of reference material to his earlier 1964 lithographic series, “Midnight and Noon,” underscores his ongoing interest in serial, abstract formats.
Artist & collection
Artist
Josef Albers ( AL-bərz, US also AHL-, German: ; March 19, 1888 – March 25, 1976) was a German-born American artist and educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States.
