Richard Diebenkorn

Estate of the Artist (acquired in 1993)
Knoedler & Company, New York (acquired in 1994)
Private Collection, San Francisco (acquired in 1994)
Hackett-Freedman Gallery, San Francisco (acquired in 2004)
Acquired by the present owner from the above

New York, Knoedler & Company, Richard Diebenkorn, Small Format Oil on Canvas, Figures, Still Lifes and Landscapes, November - December 1994, cat no. 1, illustrated in color
San Francisco, Hackett-Freedman Gallery, Bay Area Artists, Selected Works from the 1950s and 1960s, June 2003

This work is in very good condition overall. The richly textured surface is clean and the colors are vibrant. There is scattered fine craquelure which appears stable. Under ultra- violet light inspection, there is a fine horizontal line of inpainting that fluoresces; this line extends approximately 1 inch and is located near the lower 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.
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"The human image functions for me as a kind of key to the painting." (Richard Diebenkorn, as quoted in Exh. Cat., Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1998, p. 50).

The present work rendered in a modest scale is a bold example from Diebenkorn's representational figurative period. The painting captures the very essence of what catapulted Diebenkorn to the helm of "Bay Area Figuration". Along with colleagues David Park and Elmer Bischoff, from the California School of Fine Arts, this group collectively returned to figuration countermanding the dominating aesthetic trend of Abstract Expressionism. In the present work, Diebenkorn's lifelong habit of self-correction, painting over and layering took on an extraordinary new dimension. The figure boldly occupies the expanse of the painted surface with bold swathes of color delineating form and tone. Highlighted against a simple background with a limited palette, the tonality of the figure boldly leaps into the viewers perspective, engaging and confronting the viewer with a confidence that belies its very size.