Joseph Kosuth

Private Collection, Switzerland
Sotheby's, London, July 2, 2008, lot 202
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Willy Rotzler, "Glas in Spiegel der Kunst," Du, August 1977, no. 438, p. 61, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. There are a few fine surface abrasions and evidence of light wear and handling at the edges of the plastic panels. The top right corner of Lean is slightly compressed. There are a few small scattered nicks to the glass panels.
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.

During the 1960s like-minded artists such as Sol Lewitt, Carl Andre and namely, Joseph Kosuth, questioned the nature of artistic creation, the role of the maker and the efficacy of the art object itself. At the very center of this, the Conceptual Art movement, Kosuth's work was at the pinnacle of the crusade challenging the previous ideals of post-modernism and therefore inherently inquiring into the nature of art itself.

Glass-One and Four Defined is one of the artist's most significant works from his early period and which he later would refer to as part of his "First Investigations." Here, he juxtaposes the word definitions, Clear, Square, Glass, and Lean with their physical and active correlative. The definitions address what the viewer actually sees and whose placement is meticulously implemented in accordance with the artist's original intentions that were documented in 1965: four identical transparent glass panels that lean against a wall with their word definitions installed above them. The definitions explain what the viewer sees, but may not immediately focus upon, thus forcing one to accept or at the very least, acknowledge that the objects literally are that which the texts reads. Thus, Kosuth emphasizes the overlooked conceptual relationships and disparities between an object's description and its visual image.

Kosuth strove to uncover this dichotomy, between image and meaning, by breaking down the typical unity of an artwork and instead applying a systematic approach of reductivism to each of its component parts. He aimed to deconstruct art's conventional visual appearance and exchange it with a subject's inherent materiality and physical qualities. Thus, he inherently challenges the viewer to focus not upon the aesthetic but rather upon the complex link between text and image and between image and subjectivity.