John Baldessari

Marlene Williams, Los Angeles
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Patrick Pardo and Robert Dean, eds., John Baldessari Catalogue Raisonné, Volume One: 1956-1974, New Haven and London, 2012, cat. no. 1966.11, p. 46, illustrated in color

This work is in good condition overall. The canvas is unlined. There is wear to the edges, particularly at the corners, and evidence of light surface soiling throughout. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Just as magazines and newspapers served the needs of the Cubists and Dadaists, so posters provided Baldessari with raw materials from an everyday reality viewed as a mediatized environment. Baldessari was interested in constructing works from dot grids, which he used as enlargements to create decorative patterns for abstract collages alluding to real objects. Remnants of poster grids also served him as inspiration for paintings executed on pieces of aluminum, which he then worked on to make them look like pieces of torn-up posters - an effect created by spraying paint and applying it by brush onto aluminum, and stamp-printing it with painted grid structures. Distributed and installed all around a room, his works look like pictures that have been destroyed and ripped up."
Rainer Fuchs in John Baldessari: A Different Kind of Order (Works 1962-1984), Cologne, 2005, p. 18