Pol Bury

wood and electrical motor
100 by 100cm.
Executed in 1963.

Gallery 44, Düsseldorf
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall and in good working order. There is evidence of wear and handling, particularly to the edges, where the wood has been abraded or chipped in spots. Some dust has accumulated in the tangle of wires. Under raking light, some scattered abrasions are noticeable, most prominently in the center towards the bottom of the work. Please note the auction begins at 9:00 am on November 12th.
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.
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Ever an avid admirer of his artistic contemporaries, Belgian artist Pol Bury began his illustrious career gathering inspiration from those around him, ultimately establishing his own, unique vision and body of work. Bury started creating Surrealist-inspired paintings in the 1930s, when he was heavily influenced by the Surrealist musings of Yves Tanguy and René Magritte. Soon, Bury associated himself with the artist groups Jeune Peinture Belge and Cobra. Several years later in 1950, Bury went to see an exhibition of mobiles by Alexander Calder at Galerie Maeght in Paris, propelling the Belgian artist to explore three dimensional sculpture. From that point on, Bury started tinkering and exploring the possibilities of kinetic sculpture, eventually adding in motors to make the works move on their own, as is the case with the present work, 2813 White Dots from 1963.

The wood panel is mounted on the wall, and when an extending electrical cord is plugged in, the thin tentacle-like wires extending from the wood begin to twitch, tremble, flutter. 2,813 wires with white tips, as is enumerated in the title of the work, create a web of wires, moving almost imperceptibly at irregular intervals. The subtly undulating tangle of wires is hypnotizing in its slight movements, engaging what Bury called the “aesthetic of slowness.” From a distance, the wires resemble a constellation of stars, seemingly infinite. Bury’s 3069 White Dots on an Oval Background from 1966 in the permanent collection of the Tate Gallery is strikingly similar to the present work with its expanse of white-tipped wires on a wood panel. 2813 White Dots is an early, remarkable example of Bury’s kinetic relief sculptures that perfectly synthesizes the myriad of influences on the artist and his self-described “aesthetic of slowness.”