Lot 460
  • 460

JACK WHITTEN | Fifth Gestalt (The Coal Miner)

Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 USD
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Description

  • Jack Whitten
  • Fifth Gestalt (The Coal Miner)
  • signed, titled, dated 1992 and dedicated TO MY FATHER on the reverse
  • acrylic tiles and Sumi ink on canvas
  • 44 1/4 by 44 1/4 in. 112.4 by 112.4 cm.

Provenance

Horodner Romley Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Exhibited

New York, New Museum, Skin Deep, January - April 1993 
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Jack Whitten: Memorial Paintings, April - June 2008
New York, New Museum, NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, February - May 2013


Literature

Andy Battaglia, “Committing Abstract Thoughts to Canvas,” The Wall Street Journal, 6 February 2013, illustrated in color

Condition

This work is in excellent condition overall. All collaged elements appear to be present, stable and intact. The irregularities and surface texture are inherent to the artist's choice of medium and working method. Unframed.
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.

Catalogue Note

"I’m working with these units of paint, which I call tesserae—originally the word for ancient mosaics. I’ve studied mosaics for years. I’ve lived in Greece, on the island of Crete, for the past forty-six years, and I’ve done a lot of travel around the Mediterranean basin and Egypt, and there I’ve seen a lot of mosaics—so it’s the mosaic that leads to these paintings. The tesserae, in my mind, is the unit, it’s the thing that makes them. I can build anything I want with the tesserae, using all acrylic paint, built layer by layer by layer until I get the thickness that I want... There is a lot more, deeper material than the paint, of course—all the psychological stuff." Jack Whitten