DAN FLAVIN | icon VI (Ireland Dying)

Ferus Gallery, Los Angeles 
L.M. Asher Family Collection, Los Angeles (acquired from the above in 1965)
Collection of Michael Asher, Los Angeles (gift of the above in 1965)
By descent from the above to the Michael Asher Foundation in 2013

Irvine, University of California, Art Gallery, Five Los Angeles Sculptors: Larry Bell, Tony DeLap, David Gray, John McCracken, Kenneth Price: Sculptors/Drawings, January - February 1966, cat. no. c, p. 31, illustrated
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada; Vancouver Art Gallery; New York, The Jewish Museum, fluorescent light, etc. from Dan Flavin: A Retrospective, September 1969 - March 1970, cat. no. 64, pp. 148-149, illustrated (Ottawa) 

Corinna Thierolf and Johannes Vogt, Dan Flavin: ICONS, Munich 2009, fig. 16, p. 17, illustrated
Exh. Cat., New York, The Morgan Library and Museum, Dan Flavin: Drawing, New York 2012, p. 13, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is a slight undulation to the sheet, inherent to the artist’s working method. The sheet has lightly discolored with age, most notably along the extreme edges which are covered by the top mat. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. The sheet is hinged verso to the mat along all four edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.

"Between 1961 and 1964 Dan Flavin completed a group of eight works that he entitled icons. They form the seedbed of his method of working with 'naked' fluorescent tubes and they mark a crucial conceptual turning point in his artistic development: here, for the first time, he uses illuminants in the form of light bulbs, flashing lights and fluorescent tubes...they comprise works on the threshold between his paintings and his later light installations. They are the result of a search for artistic forms of expression beyond classical painting, they arise from the desire to 'leave the picture behind.'" Corinna Thierolf and Johannes Vogt, Dan Flavin: ICONS, Munich 2009, p. 7