- 122
Frank Stella
Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Frank Stella
- Untitled
- signed and dated JAN 59 on the cardboard backing
- enamel and oil on canvasboard mounted on foamcore
- 24 by 19 3/4 in. 61 by 50.2 cm.
Provenance
M. Knoedler & Co. Inc., New York
Christie's, New York, November 10, 1993, Lot 155
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
Condition
This work is in good condition. There is evidence of wear at the edges. There are unstable areas of craquelure scattered throughout the composition with resultant paint loss, revealing the underlying composition by Walter Darby Bannard.. There is evidence of inpainting which is visible in both raking and UV light, presumably to address the cracking. The most apparent of these areas are located along the right edge at 10 and 12 in. respectively from the bottom edge; along the bottom edge, approximately 7 in. from the right edge; and at 6 ΒΌ in. from the right lateral edge and 10 in. from the bottom edge. Framed.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
When Frank Stella arrived at Princeton in 1954, the University lacked a formal painting curriculum, let alone a provision for paint and materials. Stella's primary outlet for his art at this time was Professor William Seitz's not-for-credit painting studio - the first in Princeton's history - where Stella would befriend upperclassman and fellow painter Walter Darby Bannard. According to Sidney Guberman, despite the lack of university-appointed materials, Bannard always managed to come up with supplies and "Frank benefited from his largesse with his paints." (Sidney Guberman, Frank Stella, An Illustrated Biography, New York, 1995, p.22) The present work, which dates from Stella's Princeton years, was executed over a painting by Bannard and serves as an illustration of this tendency.