EDWARD WESTON | 'Wind Erosion, Dunes at Oceano, California'

mounted to board backed with dark green paper, signed and dated in pencil on the mount, titled in pencil on the reverse, framed, 1936

Phillips New York, 9 November 1981, Sale 412, Lot 183 By descent to the present owner

Conger 941

James Enyeart, Edward Weston's California Landscapes (Boston, 1984), pl. 73

Jennifer A. Watts, Edward Weston: A Legacy (Los Angeles: The Huntington Library,  2003), pl. 11

Kurt Markus, Dune: Edward & Brett Weston (Kalispell, 2003), p. 5

Judith Hochberg, Michael Mattis, Sarah Lowe, and Dody Weston Thompson, Edward Weston: Life Work (Revere, Pennsylvania, 2004), pl. 73

Brett Abbott, In Focus: Edward Weston (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005), pl. 38

This photograph represents the ideal, classic presentation for Weston's 1930s prints: it is on semi-glossy paper; mounted to heavy board with a slick white surface; and is fully signed, titled, and dated in an assured hand in pencil on the mount. An extraordinary level of detail is visible: the sunlit dunes, with their palpable texture, are balanced by the thick black bands of shadows. This print is in generally very good condition. There is a tiny loss in the lower left quadrant that appears to have been retouched. There is a tiny chip to the tip of the lower right corner. When examined in raking light, the following are visible: extremely faint silvering in the dark areas; faint scuffing in the lower portion of the image; and isolated faint scratches and a cluster of pin-point-sized impressions in the upper right quadrant, which do not appear to break the emulsion. None of the above detracts from the fine appearance of this impressive, early print. At the periphery of the slick white mount, there is some light soiling from handling and occasional wear. The mount is otherwise in very good condition.
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.

With its bold alternation of black and gray values, punctuated by crisp near-white highlights on the dune ridges, the photograph offered here is one of the most dramatically graphic studies made by Weston at Oceano, and one of the best known images in his body of work.  Weston chose it for his 1946 retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, and it was reproduced in Nancy Newhall’s companion volume, The Photographs of Edward Weston.