Philip Pearlstein, Reclining Nude on Green Couch, 1971, Signed Color Litho

ARTWORK
Title: Reclining Nude on Green Couch
Artist: Philip Pearlstein (American, 1924–2022)
Date: 1971
Medium: Color lithograph on wove paper
Edition: Numbered 59/72, signed and dated “Philip Pearlstein ’71,” from a limited edition of 72
Publisher: Landfall Press, Inc., Chicago
Framed: No
 
Dimensions:
Image/Sight: 27 × 22.4 in (69 × 57 cm)
Overall: Slightly larger with margins
 
Provenance:
From the distinguished collection of Martin and Enid Packard, reputable art collectors with deep ties to the Chicago art scene
 
Why This Work Is Significant
Philip Pearlstein’s Reclining Nude on Green Couch (1971) exemplifies the artist’s pivotal role in reshaping figurative art in postwar America. Rejecting the romanticized or idealized nude, Pearlstein presented the human form with clinical detachment, emphasizing realism, composition, and the interplay of figure and environment.
 
This work was created during a peak period in his career, as he became known for using harsh lighting, complex poses, and fragmented compositions that challenged conventional depictions of the body. The green couch, a recurring motif in his work, provides a saturated visual anchor—adding both psychological weight and abstract formality to the composition.
 
Printed by the esteemed Landfall Press in Chicago, this lithograph reflects Pearlstein’s rare ventures into printmaking. Unlike his paintings, which are widely exhibited but seldom sold, his signed and numbered prints offer collectors access to his most recognizable visual language.
 
Provenance from a noted private collection (Martin & Enid Packard), this piece offers not only aesthetic clarity and rigor, but also historical significance. It stands as a document of Pearlstein’s evolving influence, bridging traditional figure study and the modernist impulse for form, surface, and structure.
 
Today, Pearlstein’s work is held by nearly every major U.S. museum, and his prints—especially signed editions from the early '70s—are increasingly sought after as museum-quality representations of postwar American realism.
 
Condition Report
Good overall condition: slight toning to sheet and minor handling wear at upper-left corners