Joel Shapiro

Donated by the artist

This work is in very good and sound condition overall. There are some variations in the texture of the bronze that appear intentional and inherent to the artist's working method.
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.

Untitled (2011–2012) is a unique casting in bronze that suggests a backward-arched figure reaching out into space. Traces of the wood from which the bronze was cast are apparent on the surface, where the rough textures play off the simple geometry of the sculpture’s forms, here meeting in improbable suspension. The expressivity of the figure imbues the simplicity of the form with an emotional content that is missing from the cool Minimalist work with which Shapiro has sometimes been associated. The artist had been influenced by the minimalism of compatriots such as Richard Serra, Carl Andre, and Donald Judd, but his earlier experiences in Southern India as a Peace Corps volunteer had come to inform his idea of art as an experiential, life-connected endeavor. It was thus that his art came to combine the material with the affective, the formal with the personal.