- 12
Anish Kapoor
Description
- Anish Kapoor
- Untitled
- stainless steel
- 230 by 230 by 45cm.; 90 1/2 by 90 1/2 by 17 7/8 in.
- Executed in 2008.
Provenance
Sale: Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, Contemporary Art Evening Sale, November 7, 2011, lot 33
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Condition
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Through the panoramic vision it presents of the space and life around it, Untitled poetically embodies the reflective powers of art and captures the alchemy of creation. As the viewer circumnavigates the piece, their perspective alters subtly: not only does every onlooker perceive the work slightly differently, but, by placing themselves within the mirrored reflection, they become an integral part of the work itself. Norman Rosenthal notes that the artist refers to his sculptures as being: "'Self-generated' …Even when he is absent, it is constantly changing and re-inventing itself” (ibid., p. 47). Untitled continually reacts to its ambient environment, effectively reflecting the world around it in microcosm.
The present work evinces one of the key conflicts in art that permeates all Kapoor's work: that of the issue of balance between the visible and the spiritual; between the concrete material of a work and its idea; between the form and the void. As Kapoor observes: "It seemed it was not a mirrored object but an object full of mirroredness. The spatial questions it seemed to ask were not about deep space but about present space, which I began to think about as a new sublime. If the traditional sublime is in deep space, then this is proposing that the contemporary sublime is in front of the picture plane, not beyond it. I continue to make these works because I feel this is a whole new spatial adventure” (Exh. Cat., Boston, Institute of Contemporary Art, Anish Kapoor, 2008, p. 52). As an object of extraordinary beauty and power, Untitled is a masterful encapsulation of Kapoor’s utterly unique creative dialectic.