John Baldessari

Galería Pepe Cobo, Madrid
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Madrid, Galería Pepe Cobo, John Baldessari: Prima Facie (Third State), September 2005
Duerle, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, John Baldessari.  The Prima Facie Series, September 2006, p. 23, illustrated in color
Zaragoza, Palacio de Sástago, Pepe Cobo y sus máquinas,  March-April 2007, p. 66, illustrated in color

Mariano Navarro, John Baldessari,Total Opening and Formulation of Rules, Artecontexto, Madrid, no. 9, 2005, p. 54

This work is in very good condition overall. The photograph is framed under Plexiglas and the painting is framed. The photograph has not been examined out of the frame.
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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Baldessari was one of the first artists to strictly base his work on appropriated images.  He began working with advertising posters in the 1960s; by combining images and text, the posters presented a starting point from which he could deconstruct an implied meaning.  Like the Cubists and Dadaists before him, who employed newspaper, Baldessari rearranges elements from everyday reality to create new meanings. 

Prima Facie (Third State): Treacherous / Genuine speaks to the significance of information Baldessari intentionally removes.  In a legal context, Prima Facie, meaning "at first sight," denotes evidence which would be sufficient to prove a particular proposition or fact; a Prima Facie case must exist before legal proceedings may commence.  However, with the present work Baldessari demonstrates that appearances can be deceptive.  Is the subject of this piece trustworthy?  Seemingly essential information is missing and Baldessari leaves the viewer to reach their own conclusion; "David Foster Wallace once said that the duty of the writer is to make the reader feel intelligent, and let them fill in the gaps.  I feel that way, too."  (Calvin Tompkins, No More Boring Art, The New Yorker, October 18, 2010, p. 43)