- 45
Andreas Gursky
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Andreas Gursky
- Gardasee
- signed, titled, dated ‘86/’93 and numbered 5/5 on the reverse
- c-print
- image: 48.2 by 149.2 cm. 19 by 58 3/4 in.
- framed: 94.6 by 184.8 cm. 37 1/4 by 72 3/4 in.
- Executed in 1986-93, this work is number 5 from an edition of 5.
Provenance
Galerie Monika Sprüth, Cologne
Private Collection, New York
Acquired from the above by the previous owner
Private Collection, New York
Acquired from the above by the previous owner
Exhibited
Hamburg, Deichtorhallen; Amsterdam, de Appel Foundation, Andreas Gursky, Fotografien 1984-1993, 1994, p. 49, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)
Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Andreas Gursky: Photographs from 1984 to the Present, 1998, p. 76, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)
Krefeld, Kunstmuseum Krefeld, Haus Lange und Haus Esters; Stockholm, Moderna Museet; Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery, Andreas Gursky: Werke - Works 80 - 08 , 2009, pp. 112-13, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)
Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Andreas Gursky: Photographs from 1984 to the Present, 1998, p. 76, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)
Krefeld, Kunstmuseum Krefeld, Haus Lange und Haus Esters; Stockholm, Moderna Museet; Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery, Andreas Gursky: Werke - Works 80 - 08 , 2009, pp. 112-13, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)
Condition
Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate, although there are more red undertones in the original.
Condition: This work is in good condition. The sheet has evenly discoloured throughout.
"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."
"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
Executed in 1986-93, Gursky’s imposing Gardasee represents a seminal moment in the artist’s career. Moving from his early landscape photographs into his mature oeuvre from the 1990s, the work captures an important transitional phase that hints at Gurksy’s iconic later imagery. After he started using digital manipulation in 1992, the artist developed his signature interplay of dominant compositional structures on a macro-level with intricate details on a micro-scale, as is indeed the case in the present work. On the one hand Gardasee seems to have an almost minimalist composition, with the central horizon dividing the composition in two, and with the mountains almost symmetrically positioned on each side of the picture. Closer inspection, however, reveals a depth of detail with an almost impossible number of windsurfers on the Italian lake, many of whom might have indeed been added in digitally. As this interplay of overarching structure and minute detail would become a key compositional tool for Gursky in the 1990s, both as a formal quality but also as a reflection on the position of the individual in a postmodern society, Gardasee offers a crucial insight into this important period of the career of one of the most important contemporary photographers.