Sherrie Levine

Simon Lee Gallery, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Inspired by the color charts Le Corbusier conceived for Swiss wallpaper company Salubra in 1931, Sherrie Levine's Salubra 2 is a tour de force of contemporary conceptual art. For the architect Le Corbusier, each series consisted of 14 tones interacting constructively to make 'keyboards' of different color schemes. Having used historical paintings as his inspiration for each color, in her adaptation, Levine continues the theme of appropriation. Each work in her Salubra series of 6 consists of 14 monochrome mahogany panels set against distinct backgrounds.  In isolating each series and removing it from the original context, she explores the subtle effects of individual groupings of colors. Levine gives the sequences a modern reinterpretation, and no less under the authorship of a female artist who often appropriates the work of deceased male artists.