Lygia Clark (1920-1988)

Acquired from the artist, 1964
Max Bense, Stuttgart
Dr. Elisabeth Walther-Bense, Stuttgart
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1989

Stuttgart, Studiengalerie, Studium Generale Technische Hochshule, Lygia Clark, 1964

This work is in overall good condition considering its age and the materials selected by the artist. There are small, isolated areas of paint loss specifically along the extreme edges of the black and white triangles/sheets of metal that project upward. Additionally, an isolated area of paint loss is present on the extreme back left corner. This corner is also slightly bent and crimped. Two isolated areas of lifting paint can be seen on the bottom flat white surface. This work appears to have never been cleaned, which is consistent with the overall appearance of a dirt layer on the white surface.
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.

The “Studiengalerie der TH Stuttgart” (Study Gallery of the University of Stuttgart) was founded in 1959 by Max Bense. The gallery was part of the academic programme Studium Generale, and located in rooms of Bense’s Institute of Philosophy. The study gallery was the first gallery at a West-German university. Max Bense developed it into an important forum of experimental art focusing on concrete art and poetry. Many international artists had shows in the gallery: Lygia Clark, Mira Schendel, Alfredo Volpi, Dieter Roth, Mathias Goeritz, and François Morellet among others.

Bense used the exhibitions to demonstrate in applications to works of art his aesthetic theory which was founded in information theory and attempted to analyze the work of art in a precise, objectified manner (Information Aesthetics). In his introductions to the more than 100 shows organized during the time the gallery existed, Bense created a highly intellectual rhetoric of the “precision of delight”. The gallery closed after more than twenty years in 1981.