Lot 466
  • 466

Adrian Ghenie

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Adrian Ghenie
  • Doctor Josef 2
  • signed and dated 2011 on the reverse
  • oil on canvas
  • 33 1/2 by 25 3/8 in. 85.1 by 64.5 cm.

Provenance

Haunch of Venison, London
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. There is light wear and handling to the sides and edges of the canvas, which is most noticeable along the top right edge on the unpainted section of canvas. Under ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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

"I’m not a history painter, but I am fascinated by what happened in the twentieth century and how it continues to shape today. I don’t feel an obligation to tell this to the world, but for me the twentieth century was a century of humiliation – and through my painting, I’m still trying to understand this." Adrian Ghenie

Doctor Josef 2 comes from the body of work that Adrian Ghenie executed in 2011 for the exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi during the last Venice Biennale and his last exhibition with Haunch of Venison in London. Indeed, the first ‘Doctor Josef’ is in the Pinault Collection. Doctor Josef 2 essentially and critically engages with the history of The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. Founded in 1911 in Berlin, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute supported research in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, human heredity and eugenics. By confronting this difficult subject, Ghenie identifies the ambiguity of scientific discovery and the evils by which it can so easily be turned into something malefic. With every great scientific discovery or genius lies the danger of corruption. Ghenie’s application of paint makes vivid this process. The portrait communicates an atmosphere of turbulence, its subject obscured, and any great detail willfully corrupted. In scraping and excavating the face of the malevolent Doctor Josef of all recognizable features with a gestural violence, Ghenie transforms the man into something inhuman, fully distorted under the influence of evil. The message imparted from the now anonymous figure rings clear: such corruption is not specific to one person or type. The painting demonstrates a noticeably physical approach. A palette knife seems to have done much of the work, pulling it into shape while deliberately maintaining a certain distance and imprecision. Ghenie in his painting postulates that evil and brutality lie at the core of our very nature, exposing this harrowing truth with every scrape and stroke of his brush. Such bold ambition coupled with the technical virtuosity to accomplish his aims makes Ghenie one of the most inimitable painters, brazenly resurrecting history painting in his own captivating signature style.

Francis Bacon, Study of a Head, 1952
Yale Center for British Art, Gift of Beekman C. and Margaret H. Cannon
© The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / DACS, London / ARS, NY 2015