- 118
Larry Rivers
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Larry Rivers
- 2nd Avenue with THE
- signed and dated '58; signed, titled and dated 1958 on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 76 1/4 by 80 3/4 in. 193.7 by 205.1 cm.
Provenance
Tibor de Nagy, New York
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick B. McGinnis, Cincinnati
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
Sotheby's, New York, May 3, 1989, lot 264
Dorsky Gallery, New York
The Art Alliance, New York
Private Collection, Florida (acquired by the present owner from the above in May 1997)
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick B. McGinnis, Cincinnati
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
Sotheby's, New York, May 3, 1989, lot 264
Dorsky Gallery, New York
The Art Alliance, New York
Private Collection, Florida (acquired by the present owner from the above in May 1997)
Literature
Sam Hunter, Larry Rivers, New York, 1969, pl. 79, illustrated
Sam Hunter, Rivers, New York, 1971, cat. no. 19, illustrated
Frank O’Hara, “Larry Rivers: Why I Paint As I Do,” Art Chronicles, 1954-1966, New York, 1975, p. 108, illustrated
Peter Selz, Art in Our Times: A Pictorial History 1890-1980, New York, 1981, p. 415, illustrated
Sam Hunter, Larry Rivers, New York, 1989, cat. no. 164, p. 205, illustrated
Sam Hunter, Rivers, New York, 1971, cat. no. 19, illustrated
Frank O’Hara, “Larry Rivers: Why I Paint As I Do,” Art Chronicles, 1954-1966, New York, 1975, p. 108, illustrated
Peter Selz, Art in Our Times: A Pictorial History 1890-1980, New York, 1981, p. 415, illustrated
Sam Hunter, Larry Rivers, New York, 1989, cat. no. 164, p. 205, illustrated
Condition
This work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is unlined. There are areas of fine, hairline craquelure throughout. There are a few very faint, unobtrusive accretions. Under Ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. 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
"In his paintings after 1956 Rivers hinted repeatedly in a teasing now-you-see-it, now-you-don't manner at the increasing viability for art of signs and references to the commonplace...In an unexpected shift of context within an essentially impressionistic record of the artist's studio interior, Second Avenue with "THE", there appears the word "THE"; it is actually the fragment of a street sign seen through his studio window. About the same time Jasper Johns made the word "the" the subject of a painting. Both are early examples, independent of each other and apparently coincidental, of fastening on an "uninteresting" subject." (Sam Hunter, Larry Rivers, New York, 1969, p. 33)