Derek Hirst Cherokee Pequeño, 1973

Cherokee Pequeño, 1973 ("little Cherokee") exemplifies British artist Derek Hirst’s (1930 - 2006) textural abstract works from the early 1970s, when he began producing artwork almost exclusively through the formal device of the arch, expanding on his relief doors from the 1960s. With its sculptural tactility and hard-edged rhythmic colour sequencing, the work was influenced by Hirst's travels and residencies across Spain, Morocco, and the American Southwest. Deeply inspired by prehistoric, indigenous, Iberian, and Islamic cultures, throughout his career Hirst explored geometric thresholds and gateways as part of his response to cultures where art and ritual are inseparable.