Picture with a Black Arch

Wassily Kandinsky

1912 · Oil on canvas · Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Picture with a Black Arch

Accent in Pink

Circles in a Circle

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944)
Year: 1912
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 189 × 198 cm
Collection: Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris
Movement: Abstract art

Three large colour masses, a deep crimson, a blue-green and a red-orange, press against each other on a pale ground, and above them a thick black arch swings across the top like a drawn bow. A small red disc floats at upper left, and fine black lines scratch through the blue and red. Kandinsky painted it in Munich in 1912, and it is one of the large canvases of that year in which recognisable motifs have almost entirely disappeared; it is often counted among his first fully abstract paintings. The arch is usually traced to the harness bow of the Russian troika, a motif that appears in several of his works of 1911 to 1913, including Painting with Troika, where it is still attached to horses. Nina Kandinsky gave the painting to the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris in 1976.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Crimson, blue-green and red-orange masses under a swinging black arch on a cream ground, for a living room, dining room or study at 24×36 in black. A white or parchment wall; it pairs with Painting with Troika.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Abstract art painting
Era: 20th century (1912)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: classic
Rooms: living room, dining room, study or library
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Picture with a Black Arch in the public domain?

Yes. Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Centre Pompidou.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Picture with a Black Arch painted, and in what medium?

Picture with a Black Arch dates from 1912 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 189 × 198 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Picture with a Black Arch we'd choose 24×36.

About this design

Picture with a Black Arch (Wassily Kandinsky) — Picture with a Black Arch · Wassily Kandinsky · 1912. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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