Lot 52
  • 52

Franz Kline

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Franz Kline
  • Lower Half
  • signed and titled on the reverse
  • ink on paper
  • 13 7/8 by 10 1/2 in.
  • 35.2 by 26.7 cm
  • Executed circa 1950

Provenance

William Baziotes, New York
Private American Collection
William Pall Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in May 1978

Exhibited

Dallas, University Gallery, Southern Methodist University, Drawings: Matisse to Lichtenstein, February - April 1979

Condition

This work is in very good conditon overall. The paper is mounted archivally at all four corners on the mat board. There is a window on the backing board to display the artist's signature and title on the reverse of the sheet. There are artist's pin-holes in the top two corners. The extreme lateral edges exhibit faint matte burn, not visible when framed. There is a 1 in. vertical crease extending up from the bottom edge just off-center to the right. A soft crease goes diagonally across the upper left corner. Framed under glass in natural wood with a gold face.
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

Franz Kline reveles in the plasticity of paint and the power of gesture.  His greatest paintings are marked by an impressive and almost iconic simplicity.  He went to great lengths, however, to distance himself from those who believed that his works were merely calligraphic, stating "I don't think about it either as calligraphy or infinite space (Kline states in David Sylvester, Interviews with American Artists, London, 2002, p. 62).  In Lower Half the energy in the paint application lends the composition a great immediacy in its small format, as black paint overlays white ground.  The strokes are aggressive, open, and monumental, defining both space and motion.  Parallel and perpendicular lines seem to arrive at a spirited balance while still maintaining a sense of dynamism and spontaneity.