Born in Germany, Wols settled in Paris in 1936, but was forced to flee by the outbreak of World War II. He went first to the southern coastal town of Cassis, where he made Gouache #16. This seascape is populated with strange hybrids of fish-, mammal-, and amoeba-like forms, creating a composition at once representational and abstract; eventually Wols would turn to total abstraction.
Gallery label from "Collection 1940s—1970s", 2019