Ellsworth Kelly's "Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance" series, created in 1951, is a fascinating exploration of color and form that showcases the artist's innovative approach to abstract art. During his time in Paris, Kelly discovered papier gommette, a type of sticky colored paper used by French schoolchildren, which he utilized in a series of large-scale collages. These works consist of squares of colored paper arranged by chance within a grid, demonstrating Kelly's early interest in randomness and abstraction​ (Ellsworth Kelly)​​ (Wikipedia)​.

The series includes eight collages, each employing a distinct process that Kelly developed using numbered slips of paper. Each slip corresponded to one of eighteen different hues, which were then placed on a 40-inch grid according to a chance operation. This methodological approach to creating art was indicative of Kelly's desire to remove personal bias and subjectivity from the compositional process, allowing the work to be the result of a predetermined system​ (Wikipedia)​.

"Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance" represents a pivotal moment in Kelly's career, bridging his early figurative work with his later, more well-known abstract pieces. The series also underscores his lifelong fascination with color and its variations, a theme that would continue to permeate his work for decades. By embracing chance, Kelly was able to explore new realms of visual perception, challenging traditional notions of artistic creation and paving the way for his future experiments with form, color, and spatial relationships.