Alfred Jensen. The number paintings

Alfred Jensen's number paintings represent a unique intersection of mathematical rigor, mystical inquiry, and abstract expressionism. Emerging from a lifetime of study into ancient calendars, color theory, and numerical systems, these works move away from the gestural spontaneity of the artist's peers to embrace a deliberate, almost ritualistic structural grid. Jensen sought to visualize the cosmic order through these compositions, utilizing a thick, impasto technique that provides a tactile, sculptural quality to the mathematical patterns he meticulously rendered.

Published by PaceWildenstein in 2006 to accompany a major exhibition, this volume serves as a comprehensive survey of Jensen's most significant series. The publication was designed to contextualize his complex intellectual framework for a new generation of scholars and collectors. It remains a key reference for understanding his late-career transition toward systematic, geometric abstraction, highlighting how his work bridged the gap between the mid-century New York School and the burgeoning conceptual movements that followed.