John McCracken

Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
Private Collection, California
David Zwirner Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the previous owner

New York, David Zwirner Gallery, Primary Atmospheres: Works from California 1960-1970, January - February 2010, pp. 59-60, illustrated in color
New York, David Zwirner Gallery, John McCracken: Works from 1963-2011, September - October 2013, pl. 32, illustrated in color

This work is in excellent condition overall. There is evidence of light dust accumulation to the surface. Under close inspection and raking light, there are a few scattered unobtrusive, very faint surface scratches. Only visible under very close inspection, there are a few minor scattered surface accretions along the extreme lower edges.
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.
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“I do try to make things that look like they come from somewhere else – from a UFO or a futuristic environment or another dimension. That things exist in more than one dimension at one time is something that’s more than a fascination for me, it’s relevant to the human world.” – John McCracken, 1997

Black Pyramid is a mysterious and otherworldly example of McCracken’s West Coast Minimalism and is indicative of his life-long interest in the extraterrestrial. There is no structure wrapped up with quite as much mystery as the pyramid – from Egypt to Mexico and Southeast Asia, it has captured the human imagination for centuries, and few other pieces from McCracken’s oeuvre implicate this fascination quite like the present work. The piece is striking in its seamless perfection, its slightly rounded edges and vertices create the effect of being without a beginning or end, and its polished, onyx black resin gives the effect of unlimited depth. It is, in effect, a pyramidal black hole, leading perhaps to the other dimensions McCracken was so drawn to.

Robert Iwrin, Craig Kauffman and James Turrell are amongst other notable West Coast Minimalists, and McCracken saw his beginnings as a professional artist with his first solo exhibition at Nicholas Wilder Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in 1965. West Coast Minimalism, also referred to as the Light and Space Movement, was primarily concerned with how light and form could affect the perception of the viewer and is said to have been inspired by Los Angeles’ particular radiance and color palette, lending the movement a certain Californian aesthetic. McCracken’s artistry is based almost entirely on these notions of light and form, to the extent that he painstakingly crafted objects and mixed pigments himself, in contrast to other well-known Minimalists. His iconic planks are often likened to a polished surfboard or the smooth finish of Kustom Kulture cars, both undeniably unique aspects of California culture. His work has been exhibited at a number of Los Angeles institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Center, LA Louver, the Laguna Art Museum and the Orange County Museum of Art. Black Pyramid combines the Californian with the inter-dimensional to form a work that perfectly typifies McCracken’s oeuvre.