Mira Schendel (1919-1988)

Galeria de Arte Paula Vasconcellos, São Paulo
Acquired from the above, 1988
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Latin American Art, May 28, 2013, lot 37, illustrated in color
Private Collection, New York

This work is in good condition, taking its age into account. A light layer of soiling is present on the surface. A small accretion measuring approximately 1/8 inch in diameter is present in the bottom right side of the black circle. Some minor paint loss and wear are present along the extreme edges of the work. Additional minor paint losses are present in the lower right quadrant.
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.

Beginning in 1962, Mira Schendel turned her attention to painting. Executed in oil and tempera mixed with sand, polymer, and plaster, this shortly lived and yet highly accomplished series presents a compelling group of monochromatic works. Given their intensely textural and saturated surfaces painted in earthy tones, these subdued compositions seem to materialize Schendel's intellectual quest for abstraction. Untitled (1963) is an exemplary work from this series wherein organic shapes reminiscent of the "void" transcend into primal forms of expression. 

Writing about this body of work first exhibited at Galeria de Arte São Luiz in São Paulo in 1963, Mario Pedrosa noted: "Formerly, the line which divided the rectangle into multiple or successive, repetitive, regular shapes also divided it into figure and background. Its rectangular shapes stood out, here and there, so that the rest of the picture served as a backdrop. Form left off being form, living form, plastic form, in order to be composite form. As for color, it is no longer circumscribed and one does not distinguish it; it is even less than a nuance, it is material. This goes on to act as presence, not only because of its more evident and quantifiable property, that of extension, but because of the especially sensitive quality of intensity. The concretism thickens, and gains another dimension, that of a subjective expressiveness, with real emotional impact." (1)

(1) No vazio do mundo, Mira Schendel, Galeria de Arte do SESI, São Paulo, 1996, p. 87