ALBERT OEHLEN | Untitled

Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist)
Phillips, New York, 15 May 2009, Lot 193
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner 

This work is in very good condition overall. Embedded paint brushes are visible throughout the paint surface. There are small scattered areas of pigment separation, which are stable and likely inherent to the artist's process. Under very close inspection, there is a minor paint chip to the impasto approximately 16 inches from the bottom edge and 22 inches from the right edge, possibly from the time of execution. There is extremely faint stable hairline cracking along the extreme turning edges from when the canvas was stretched. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, several spots within the turpentine drips fluoresce, but are not the results of restoration. 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.

"I am convinced that I cannot achieve beauty via a direct route; that can only be the result of deliberation. Otherwise, we would be back at the pure sound that creates happiness—which I don't believe in. That's the interesting thing about art: that somehow, you use your material to make something that results in something beautiful, via a path that no one has yet trodden. That means working with something that is improbable, where your predecessors would have said, 'You can't do that.' First you take a step towards ugliness and then, somehow or other, you wind up where it's beautiful." Albert Oehlen