Adolph Gottlieb

Sidney Janis Gallery, New York
W. Hawkins Ferry, Detroit (acquired from the above in November 1962)
Bequest to the present owner from the Estate of the above in 1988

New York, Sidney Janis Gallery, Adolph Gottlieb, October 1962, illustrated
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art; New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Washington, D.C., The Corcoran Gallery of Art; Waltham, Rose Art Museum; Adolph Gottlieb, February - October 1968, p. 90, illustrated
Traverse City, Dennos Museum Center of Northwestern Michigan, From Picasso to Warhol: 20th Century Masterworks form the Detroit Institute of Arts, October 1997 - February 1998

P.D., "A Glass Palace for a Bachelor Art Collector," Interiors, January 1965, p. 68, illustrated in color
"W. Hawkins Ferry," The New York Times, July 10, 1966, illustrated
Charlotte Curtis, "The Scene in Grosse Pointe: Why Go Away, We're Already Here," The New York Times, Sunday, July 10, 1966, p. 60, illustrated
"You Should Pardon the Expressionism," Daily News, February 16, 1968, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall, particularly for a work of this size and date. It appears that the edges of the canvas have been strip-lined around the edges. Slight distortions and hairline cracking is scattered overall along all four edges, particularly the vertical cracking along the left edge. The cracking on the bottom edge includes semi-circular concentric areas of cracking with minor losses at intervals, perhaps related to movement of the stretcher and the weight of the canvas. There are diagonal feathered linear cracks scattered in the left third, primarily below and to the left of the yellow circular form of the painting. In the upper right corner, there are lesser linear, located 21 ¼ -22 in. from right and 20 ½ -25 in. from top, as well as a small dent at 4-5 ½ inches from the top and 5 ½ to 6 ½ in. from the right. The black pigment in the bottom register shows evidence of relatively few soft abrasions, the most notable being very faint parallel diagonal scuffs 21 1/2 – 29 ½ in. from bottom and 34 ½-39 ½ in. from right. There are faint handling marks and soiling along the edges overall with traces of linear drips in the upper right corner, located 6–7 in. from top and 12 in. from right, and 1 ½ in. from top and 11 ½ in. from right. There is a pinpoint paint loss located 29 ½ in. from the top and 5 ½ in. from the right. This painting has not been viewed under Ultraviolet light. The unframed canvas is edged with fine fabric tape and has foamcore panels attached to the reverse of the stretcher.
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.

From the Detroit Institute of Art comes Trinity, a remarkable work by famed lyrical painter Adolph Gottlieb. Combining his typical disk-like imagery in Calderesque primary colors above more gestural markings, Trinity literalizes Gottlieb's transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. Massive in scale and arresting in composition, Trinity, painted in 1962, stands as a historically important work in the artist's oeuvre. There's a formal logic and aesthetic simplicity to this epic work. The disks of color (black, red, and blue), arranged separate of the smaller yellow orb, look like a diagram of the solar system; though static, you can almost imagine them revolving. "Tonal structure is the important thing in painting a picture," contends Gottlieb. "Color is only an extension of value. If values are right, colors will be right and I can decide upon any color scheme I wish. If a close range of values is chosen, then color helps give variation of visual effect." ("Adolph Gottlieb," Limited Edition, December 1945).

The horizontal orientation of Trinity forces a panoramic understanding of its composition. None of the looped black strokes that span the lower half of the canvas are prescriptive.  In 1943, Gottlieb and Mark Rothko cosigned a famous letter to Edwin Jewell in response to a negative review in the New York Times. They assert: "We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it had the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth." (Rothko and Gottlieb, Letter to Edwin A. Jewell, June 7, 1943).