Bernard Cohen

Gimpel Fils, London
Private Collection, Sussex, from whom acquired by Rowntree Clark, London, 2011
Acquired from the above by the present owner

London, Gimpel Fils, Bernard Cohen Paintings/James Tower Ceramics, December 1958, cat. no.8, illustrated n.p.

Norbert Lynton, Bernard Cohen: Work of Six Decades, Flowers, London, 2009, illustrated p.20 (as Black and White Painting, with incorrect dimensions).

The board appears sound. There is sound rounding to the board at the corners. There are old pin holes around the edges, with associated staining, thought to be in keeping with the Artist's materials. In places there are one or two small losses to the board at the extreme edges. There is a small very light scratch in the upper right quadrant towards the right vertical edge, with one or two further light scuffs elsewhere. There is a small indentation, with some associated small specks of loss, to the dark grey pigment in the lower left quadrant close to the lower horizontal edge. There are small spots of light surface dirt in places, most apparent in the lower left quadrant. Subject to the above the work is in very good overall condition. Ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of fluorescence or retouching. The work is float mounted within a simple wood frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

'Back in the Fifties, I needed to find answers to my questions about what had so recently happened to the human race, and so I looked for a way of painting that related to what I knew and saw and felt about being alive. The great subjects of painting had once been able to expose and also to answer for the human condition. Those subjects now seemed to be buried beneath mounds of slaughtered humanity. Any attempt to paint about the recent terrible human tragedy would have been mere illustration, something after the event. The only thing I could think of doing was to try to create something that might contain the best of me.' (Bernard Cohen, 'A Painter Without a Subject,' reproduced in Norbert Lynton, Bernard Cohen: Work of Six Decades, Flowers, London, 2009, p.207)