Lot 205
  • 205

Daniel Richter

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 GBP
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Description

  • Daniel Richter
  • Monday Morning
  • signed, titled and dated 2012 on the reverse
  • oil on canvas
  • 200 by 300 cm. 78 3/4 by 118 1/8 in.

Provenance

Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin
Private Collection, Australia
Private Collection, London

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly brighter in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Very close inspection reveals some light wear to the edges and corner tips. Further close inspection reveals some drying cracks to the centre of the lower right quadrant, and some further unobtrusive cracks towards the centre of the composition. There is a tiny loose impasto peak towards the lower edge, approximately 80 cm. from the lower left corner. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
"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

The essentially interesting thing about non-representative painting is the idea of radicality and freedom.

DANIEL RICHTER

quoted in: Exh. Cat, Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, 2006, p. 208

Painted in 2012, the present work forms part of Daniel Richter’s Monday series, a highly acclaimed body of work that represents a new stage of experimentation and refinement of the artist’s technique, concentrated on the vocabulary of the line. In this body of work, Richter does not intend to create an image of nature but is instead interested in depicting a motif with mechanised lines that are at once abstract and expressive. The artist employs a linear vocabulary that reduces the painterly gesture and combines opposing approaches of neo-expressive and conceptual styles. Whilst he formerly used dramatic crowd scenes to illustrate his concern with social structures, since 2012 he has focused on the representation of individual characters and their psychological state. As a result, an atmosphere of fear and discomfort has found its way into this work where an isolated individual teeters on the precipice of a grandiose and frightening landscape.

Conveying current events with an anarchic and energetic punk rock approach, Daniel Richter uses almost-fluorescent colours and variegated brushstrokes to depict figures in situations of rebellion—scenes that are both exciting and surreal. Much like Peter Doig, Richter gets to the heart of paint, capturing a magnetic vibrancy through texture, richness of colour and illusion of light. Richter designs an exuberant and luscious other world, made all the more believable by the invention of, and adherence to, his own rules of image-making.