- 120
David Smith
Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- David Smith
- Untitled
- signed and dated Feb-7-1962 on the reverse
- spray enamel on canvas
- 95 by 48 in. 241.3 by 121.9 cm.
- Executed in 1962, this work is stamped by the Estate of David Smith and numbered 75-62-1 on the reverse.
Provenance
Makler Gallery, Philadelphia
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1978
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1978
Condition
This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling along the edges of the canvas. There are scattered accretions to the center of the picture in the white area, as well as some very light spotting in the lowermost part of the white circle. There are small dents along the upper and lower edges, near the left and right corners. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. There are two 1 3/4 inch lines in the white circular area that fluoresce brightly. Framed.
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.
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
"I belong with painters in a sense; and all my early friends were painters because we all studied together... Painting and sculpture aren't very far apart," (Exh. Cat., London, Anthony d'Offay, David Smith: Sprays from Bolton Landing, 1985, p. 2). For David Smith, painting was a means to address the same formal and mythic concerns as his sculptures. Smith sought to reconcile the optical precepts of painted abstraction with volumetric forms. His spray paintings reverse the process of his sculpture, returning three dimensional objects to the flat plane of the canvas.
Smith began his spray series at his studio at Bolton Landing in 1957 and would continue the series through the early 1960s. The period would mark the beginning of major recognition for Smith, coinciding with his retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1957, and his selection as the American representative at the 29th Venice Bienniale in 1958. Working additively, Smith made stencils of found objects, layering sprays of enamel paint over a changing arrangement of objects from his studio; die-cut forms, tools in disuse, and natural elements. In the present work Untitled, 1962 the resulting form shaped by the negative space not only reads volumetric but bears striking resemblance to Untitled, 1964 in the collection of the Newark Museum, underscoring the entwined relationship of painting and sculpture for Smith.
Smith began his spray series at his studio at Bolton Landing in 1957 and would continue the series through the early 1960s. The period would mark the beginning of major recognition for Smith, coinciding with his retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1957, and his selection as the American representative at the 29th Venice Bienniale in 1958. Working additively, Smith made stencils of found objects, layering sprays of enamel paint over a changing arrangement of objects from his studio; die-cut forms, tools in disuse, and natural elements. In the present work Untitled, 1962 the resulting form shaped by the negative space not only reads volumetric but bears striking resemblance to Untitled, 1964 in the collection of the Newark Museum, underscoring the entwined relationship of painting and sculpture for Smith.