Composition VIII, 1977

Conrad Marca-Relli was an American-born painter, who was a part of the abstract expressionist movement. Conrad Marca-Relli often painted cityscapes, still life's, and circus themes. He was friends with famous American artist Jackson Pollock. Art critics often compare Marca-Relli's work to that of noted Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. Conrad Marca-Relli’s first exhibition came in 1948 and took place in New York City. His work has been exhibited across the United States, Canada and Europe. Marca-Relli's public collections can be seen in a number of different museums, including New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney American Museum of Art; the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, both in Washington D.C. Conrad Marca-Relli was a member of the Downtown Group, a collection of artists who worked in lower Manhattan.He was also a World War II veteran and held Professorships at Yale University and the University of California at Berkeley. Marca-Relli died in the year 2000 in Parma, Italy at age 87.