Bob Law

Karsten Schubert, London
Private Collection, Australia

London, Karsten Schubert, Bob Law: Recent Work, 1988.

The work is on wove paper which has not been laid down. The edges of the sheet are deckled and the sheet appears to be in good overall condition. The paint surface is in good overall condition. Held under glass and presented in a cream mount in a simple wooden frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

Bob Law received little formal education as a child and his artistic training was almost entirely self-taught. He embarked initially on a series of apprenticeships from carpentry to architecture before settling on an artistic career. In 1957 he moved to St Ives, Cornwall where he was encouraged to paint by the avant-garde, such as Ben Nicholson and Peter Lanyon. The minimalist style of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman were also particular influences and in the mid-1960s he made his best known contribution to Minimalism with a series of 'black' paintings in acrylic. Law's black watercolours were a later continuation of this series which, in an interview in 1989, he recalls: 'include all the colours - red, yellow, blue, green and purple - layers and layers and layers of thin watercolour built up until you get this blackness with all the depth of colour in it.'