Franz Kline (Wilkes-Barre, 1910 – New York, 1962) completed his studies at the Art Students League in New York (1931–1935) and the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London (1935-1938), before returning to New York in 1939.

During the 1930s and early 1940s, Kline’s work was largely representational: industrial landscapes reminiscent of his native Pennsylvania, animated subjects, murals, and portraits. In the 1940s, Kline developed an interest in Japanese art and became acquainted with Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock and their work, resulting in his own abstract identity, characterized by bold black-and-white brushstrokes, by the end of the decade.

Between 1938 and 1942, he exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York. His first solo exhibition was held in 1950 at the Egan Gallery in New York. This important opportunity established Kline as one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism.

Around the mid-1950s, he began incorporating color into his previously monochromatic palette. His works were featured in the 9th Street Art Exhibition (New York, 1951), at the Museum of Modern Art in the exhibition Twelve Americans (New York, 1956), at Galleria La Tartaruga (Rome, 1958), Galleria del Naviglio (Milan, 1958), and at the 30th Venice Biennale (Venice, 1960).

Like Pollock, Kline was labeled an action painter. However, his works were often the result of carefully calculated gestures — studied spontaneity. Before executing his final compositions on canvas, he meticulously rehearsed the intended result in preliminary sketches.

Kline’s work is said to have been profoundly influenced by Willem de Kooning. In 1948, de Kooning suggested that Kline project one of his preparatory sketches onto a wall. Kline noticed that the enlarged image transformed into a series of bold brushstrokes that transcended the original source. From that point on, Kline adopted this method, creating paintings inspired by the dynamic compositions projected on the wall.

He eventually received several awards, including the S. J. Wallace Truman Award from the National Academy of Design in New York (1944), the Art Institute of Chicago Award (1957), and the American Ministry of Education Award (1960).