- 138
William Scott, R.A.
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- William Scott, R.A.
- Berlin Blues
- oil on canvas
- 51 by 51cm., 20 by 20in.
Provenance
Hanover Gallery, London
Gimpel Fils, London
Sale, Sotheby's, London, 16 March 1977, lot 161, whence purchased by the present owners
Exhibited
London, Hanover Gallery, William Scott Recent Paintings, 28 September - 22 October, 1965, no. 26;
Zurich, Gimpel Hanover Galeire, W. Scott, 25 March - 26 April, 1966, no.11;
Dublin, Dawson Gallery, William Scott Exhibition of Oil Paintings, 19 January - 7 February 1967, no. 17.
Zurich, Gimpel Hanover Galeire, W. Scott, 25 March - 26 April, 1966, no.11;
Dublin, Dawson Gallery, William Scott Exhibition of Oil Paintings, 19 January - 7 February 1967, no. 17.
Condition
The canvas is unlined.
There is a cosmetic scratch to the green paint in the upper right quadrant which is visible in the catalogue illustration.
Under ultra-violet light there are several tiny spots of retouching. Most are in the lower right quadrant but there are also two to the lower left quadrant and another in the upper left corner. Two spots of fluorescence correspond with slight stains in the lower right quadrant just to the right of the base of the central blue shape. These are visible in the catalogue illustration.
Held in a thin gilt frame which has sustained some minor abrasions.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Painted in 1965, the present work is registered with the William Scott Archive as no. 1043.
Sarah Whitfield is currently preparing the Catalogue Raisonne of works in oil by William Scott. The William Scott Foundation would like to hear from owners of any work by the artist so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue or in future projected catalogues. Please write to Sarah Whitfield c/o Sotheby's, 20th Century British Art Department, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.
Having moved to Berlin in November 1963, William and Mary Scott immediately plunged themselves into the artistic and cultural life of the city. Scott was able to work in a large studio in the Kunstakademie in West Berlin and formed close friendships with Xenakis, the Greek composer and Hans Scharoun, the Greek architect, as well as the other artists on the Berliner Kunstlerprogramm such as André Masson, Emilio Vedova and Antonio Saura. James Scott recalls that, 'they both very much liked living in Berlin because, being artists from the West, they now seemed to have a central place in society. At the same time, they had the freedom to come and go into East Berlin. Mary was a lover of ballet, and they often would go to the ballet in East Berlin. Also, they very much liked the Berliner Ensemble which was quite staggering and perhaps more impressive than anything on offer in the West' (James Scott quoted in Norbert Lynton, William Scott, Thames & Hudson, London 2004, p.277).
The resultant style that Scott developed during his time in the city formed the basis for his solo show at the Hanover Gallery in 1965. The exhibition was dominated by a series of large scale canvases that Scott had entitled Berlin Blues and which were numbered in sequence such as Berlin Blues 1 (1965, Coll. Bank of Ireland Group) and Berlin Blues 2 (1965, Private Collection). The series introduced to the wider public the forms and motifs that had emerged in Berlin such as the 'wig-stand' figure and equilateral triangle with rounded corners that are important components of the present composition (see also lot 10). As is suggested by the title of the series and the present work, the pre-dominant colour of the series was blue and Scott applied it on a simple white ground so that the forms literally appear to float both into and out of the background.
In order to achieve the monumentality of the large scale works, Scott began developments for each work on the smaller scale of the present painting which he would later work up into larger compositions; the larger version of the present work is literally entitled Expanded (1965, Private Collection, see Lynton, ibid., fig.186, p.298).
Sarah Whitfield is currently preparing the Catalogue Raisonne of works in oil by William Scott. The William Scott Foundation would like to hear from owners of any work by the artist so that these can be included in this comprehensive catalogue or in future projected catalogues. Please write to Sarah Whitfield c/o Sotheby's, 20th Century British Art Department, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA.
Having moved to Berlin in November 1963, William and Mary Scott immediately plunged themselves into the artistic and cultural life of the city. Scott was able to work in a large studio in the Kunstakademie in West Berlin and formed close friendships with Xenakis, the Greek composer and Hans Scharoun, the Greek architect, as well as the other artists on the Berliner Kunstlerprogramm such as André Masson, Emilio Vedova and Antonio Saura. James Scott recalls that, 'they both very much liked living in Berlin because, being artists from the West, they now seemed to have a central place in society. At the same time, they had the freedom to come and go into East Berlin. Mary was a lover of ballet, and they often would go to the ballet in East Berlin. Also, they very much liked the Berliner Ensemble which was quite staggering and perhaps more impressive than anything on offer in the West' (James Scott quoted in Norbert Lynton, William Scott, Thames & Hudson, London 2004, p.277).
The resultant style that Scott developed during his time in the city formed the basis for his solo show at the Hanover Gallery in 1965. The exhibition was dominated by a series of large scale canvases that Scott had entitled Berlin Blues and which were numbered in sequence such as Berlin Blues 1 (1965, Coll. Bank of Ireland Group) and Berlin Blues 2 (1965, Private Collection). The series introduced to the wider public the forms and motifs that had emerged in Berlin such as the 'wig-stand' figure and equilateral triangle with rounded corners that are important components of the present composition (see also lot 10). As is suggested by the title of the series and the present work, the pre-dominant colour of the series was blue and Scott applied it on a simple white ground so that the forms literally appear to float both into and out of the background.
In order to achieve the monumentality of the large scale works, Scott began developments for each work on the smaller scale of the present painting which he would later work up into larger compositions; the larger version of the present work is literally entitled Expanded (1965, Private Collection, see Lynton, ibid., fig.186, p.298).