Ellsworth Kelly was born in Newburgh, New York. He studied at the Pratt Institute as well as at the Boston Museum School. His preferred mediums include painting, lithography, and metal sculpture. While his early works treated the subject of the human form, he is known for his characteristic abstract style that began in 1949. His early influences included Klee and Picasso, while his later influences included Vantongerloo and Arp. He often uses monochromatic, bright, geometric forms in his compositions. In 1973, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held the first retrospective of his work.