Jannis Kounellis

Sonnabend Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jannis Kounellis: A Retrospective in Five Locations, 1986-87
Pistoia, Palazzo Fabroni, Kounellis, Esposizione di paesaggi invernali, 1993-94, p. 77, illustrated

Gloria Moure, Kounellis, New York 1990, p. 198, no. 66, pl. 138, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original. The large red and white wooden element in the middle of the third shelf down has more pale blue tones in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is craquelure, wear and ageing to the elements as is to be expected with the artist's use of found materials and is original to the work. The thin vertical red and white wooden element on the third shelf down towards the extreme right is missing. Examined under ultra-violet light there is restoration evident in the rectangular element to the far right of the second shelf from the top and to the large square element to the left of the bottom shelf.
"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 1967 Kounellis took part in the groundbreaking group exhibition Arte povera e IM spazio at the Galleria La Bertesca, Genoa, from which the curator Germano Celant coined the term Arte Povera, or 'poor art'.  Referring to the humble, often found elements that represented an anti-elitist art, it was with these materials that Kounellis would introduce and enter into a new dimension with his art. 

 

The motif of the shelf was first used by Kounellis in 1969.  However, it was not a focus in his work until 1979 when he began presenting sculptural fragments and various materials on steel shelves.  As his works became increasingly complex and grouped more objects together, Kounellis used the shelf as a central motif for his compositions.  As Thomas McEvilley reflects, "The shelves became part of his iconography, representing accumulation, the past, the ruins of the past, the attempt to collect and put back together the fragments of history... They are like an archaeologist's storage area where lie the fragments that one must study in search of a way toward a new measure" (Exhibition Catalogue, Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jannis Kounellis, 1986, p. 126).  In Untitled, various pieces of wood, some painted a red and white and found fragments accumulate on the shelves and are briefly made iconic.  Compositionally, the geometric shapes and patterns that are realized recall Piet Mondrian and Kasimir Malevich - Malevich being the model artist for Kounellis.  The strict lines of the steel structure and formal qualities of the shelf share a close link with architecture, a personal interest of Kounellis'.  As Mary Jane Jacob states, Kounellis's art "embodies a union of political and aesthetic ideals; through fragments he presents glimpses of cultural truths, in an attempt to build a new society, a new humanity" (ibid., p. 12).