- 372
Friedrich Kunath
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Friedrich Kunath
- Untitled
- gouache, watercolour and varnish on canvas
- 200 by 280cm.; 78 3/4 by 110 1/4 in.
- Executed in 2007-8.
Provenance
BQ Gallery, Cologne
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Carnegie Museum Of Art, Pittsburgh, 55th Carnegie International, 2008-9
Saatchi Gallery, London, Gesamtkunstwerk: New Art from Germany, 2011-12
Saatchi Gallery, London, Gesamtkunstwerk: New Art from Germany, 2011-12
Literature
Jonathan Cape, Germania: New Art from Germany, London 2008, pp. 48-9, illustrated in colour
Condition
Colour:
The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate.
Condition:
This work is in very good condition. All surface irregularities are inherent to the artist's working process. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Friedrich Kunath has worked in a variety of media, resulting in a thrillingly eclectic oeuvre to date. Yet it is his works on canvas that arguably reveal Kunath’s masterful technical skills to brilliant effect, displaying the artist’s exquisite draughtsmanship and evocative use of colours. Untitled is a work of truly elegiac beauty: a poignant meditation on loneliness and solitude. The silhouetted figure of a man, weighted down with suitcases, moves wearily towards the mysterious, somewhat ramshackle, dwelling that hovers, mirage-like, on the horizon. The delicately delineated edifice lacks any sense of solidity: it is unclear whether the figure has hallucinated the curious building out of a desperate desire to attain shelter, or if the structure is some fantastical El-Dorado of myth appearing to offer succour. The luminous pink and orange tones that suffuse the sky imbue the image with an element of uncertainty, connoting either the warmth of the rising sun, or, possibly, the terrifying glow of flames. Kunath encourages us to come to our own conclusions, ensuring that every viewer’s encounter with Untitled is an utterly personal one.