Yvonne Kracht's 1960 painting Zee is made in her abstract expressionism period, before changing  to geometric abstraction. The composition features textured hues of deep brown, black, and muted purple, arranged in precise geometric shapes reminiscent of machine parts. This work reflects Kracht's pursuit of combining rational structures with emotional depth, a defining aspect of her evolving style in the 1960s. Born in Rotterdam in 1931, Kracht studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp before joining the Liga Nieuw Beelden, a group dedicated to post-war artistic innovation. Zee exemplifies Kracht’s unique ability to blend an abstract narrative rigor with textural complexity, cementing her legacy in Dutch modernism.

 

This early painting is a rare and powerful example of Kracht's material explorations—poised between gestural abstraction and sculptural surface. A museum-worthy addition to any collection of 20th-century European avant-garde.