Paul Jenkins, American 1923-2012- The Leap, 1955; oil and mixed technique on canvas, signed lower left, signed and dated 55 on the reverse, 53 x 80cm Provenance: Arthur Tooths & Sons Ltd; Collection of Edward J. Power; Arthur Tooths & Sons Ltd., London; Mr C Doughty; Private Collection, London. Literature: 'New Trends in Painting. Some Pictures from a Private Collection.' The Arts Council of Great Britain: 1956 no.23 p.8; 'New Trends in Painting. Some Pictures from a Private Collection', The Arts Council of Great Britain, 1957 no.32 p.12; 'Recent Developments in Painting' Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd., London, 1957, no. 18, (listed here as 1953). Note: Jenkins' innovative application of paint and experimental techniques led to a long-held association with many of the great Abstract Expressionists of the 20th Century. Moving to New York in 1948, Jenkins studied for four years at the Art Students League of New York with Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Morris Kantour. During this period he was also introduced to the likes of Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman forming friendships with a number of them. From 1955 onwards Jenkins split his year between New York, Paris and Provence. The present painting shows one of his early abstractions, popular amongst the New York and European market. Instead of using a paint brush, Jenkins favours pouring paint onto the surface of a primed canvas, allowing it to drip, pool and spread in unusual patterns. Today, his works are included in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.