Avigdor Arikha

Marlborough Galleries, New York
Collection Eugene Istomin (acquired in the late 1970s)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 4, 2005, lot 209
Acquired at the above sale

Watercolor on paper. Sheet is adhered to mount by adhesive, verso not visible. Surface in generally good condition, color is vivid and fresh.
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.

From the mid 1960’s, Arikha gave up abstract painting in favor of painting directly from life. He executed each work in front of the subject and always completed it in one sitting. Called “one of the best painters from life in the last decades of the 20^th century,” (The Economist, Avigdor Arikha, 13 May 2010) “Arikha was intent on conveying, through the quivering presence of each brush-stroke, a palpably physical sensation of stillness and the comforting warmth of light.” (David Britt, ed., Modern Art: Impressionism to Post-Modernism, 1989, p. 390). His deliberate use of time, subject and treatment “brings haunting moments of insight and… gives the object an understated and suggestive dignity.” (Charles Jencks, Post-Modernism: The New Classicism in Art and Architecture, 1987, p. 154). Arikha’s subjects – whether self-portraits, intimate interiors of his Paris flat, or still lives of objects as mundane as the Blue Bottle – reveal a deep reverence for the physical world without unnecessary embellishment.