Avigdor Arikha

Marlborough Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner, around 1988

Duncan Thomas, Arikha, London, 1994, illustrated in color, p. 182

The medium is oil on canvas, not lined. The work is in very good overall condition. There is some surface dust and dirt, mostly near the edges, and the edges of the canvas are covered with tape along the sides (not over the front/paint). The edges of the canvas are exposed in the current framing. Overally the work appear very crisp and fresh and presents very well.
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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Arikha's innovative composition paired with his careful handling of the many subtle shades that build up white sheet and flesh infuse this quiet subject with a tense psychological energy.

In Duncan Thomas's monogram on the artist he compares the work to a painting by Lucien Freud, Standing by the Rags, from the same year. "Freud engages in an unremitting onslaught, where the layers of paint aim at the same plasticity as flesh itself; Arikha attempts, with an economy of means, to hold the evanescent luminosity of the model's flesh as something that is almost distinct from the substance that lies beneath the surface, although at the same time contributing to its realization. Few contemporary painters are equipped, either technically or psychologically, to paint from the model in either way." (Thomas, p. 182)