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JOSEF ALBERS | Study for Homage to the Square: "Allegro"
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 GBP
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Description
- Josef Albers
- Study for Homage to the Square: "Allegro"
- signed with the artist's initials and dated 61; signed, titled, dated 1961 and variously inscribed on the reverse
- oil on masonite
- 40 by 40 cm. 15 3/4 by 15 3/4 in.
Provenance
Galerie Bischofberger, Zurich
Private Collection, Europe
Sotheby's, Milan, 24 November 2015, Lot 19
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Private Collection, Europe
Sotheby's, Milan, 24 November 2015, Lot 19
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Condition
Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is deeper and richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Examination out of its frame reveals some minor wear with specks of associated loss to the extreme outer edges. Inspection under ultra-violet lights reveals some uneven fluorescence, which is in keeping with the artist's working process.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Executed in 1961 and evincing an assiduous exploration into the colour yellow, the present work is a superlative example from one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable artistic series of the Twentieth Century: Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square. In his belief that colour does not exist by itself but only in dialogue with other colours, Albers created an oeuvre that postulates the primacy of colour through visual experience. The artist himself wrote that “we are able to hear a single tone. But we almost never (that is without special devices) see a single colour unconnected and unrelated to other colours. Colours present themselves in continuous flux, constantly related to changing neighbours and changing conditions” (Josef Albers, Interaction of Color, 1971 New Haven and London 2007, p. 5). First initiated in 1950, Albers’ consummate Homage to the Square series was the product of a meticulous painterly and geometric process, and the colours choices a representation of his personal surroundings. Many of the colour, such as the yellow and tan hues in the present works, are rooted in the artist’s Latin American trips. The artist first travelled to Mexico in 1935, and the encounter with Latin American indigenous art would have a decisive influence on the artist’s understanding of colour and form. As masterfully exemplified in the present works, the light of the South powerfully emanates through the juxtaposition of luminous emerald green nested in a sea of vibrant terracotta and muted mahogany. As much as the painting is an homage to the square, it equally becomes an homage to the colour and light that Albers discovered in the landscape of the South.
Indeed, Albers’ deep-rooted interest in Latin America and his interest for the region’s indigenous art forged a crucial understanding for the subtle relationship between colour and form that led to his Homage to the Square paintings. Between 1935 and 1967, Albers and his wife Anni journeyed to Mexico some fourteen times. It was in the South that Albers encountered the magnificent architecture of ancient Mesoamerica and the abundance of pre-Columbian artefacts. Over the years, the couple amassed a collection of around 1,400 objects; antiquities that were to profoundly influence their creative output in the years to come. Albers’ experiences in Latin America therefore offer an essential context for understanding his unprecedented opus. His arrangements of squares and rectangles share the same aesthetic DNA to the abstract forms of Latin American pottery and textiles, and even extend to the history of architecture. This becomes the more apparent when looking at the artist’s fascinating collection of black-and-white photographs that document the pyramids, shrines and sanctuaries he discovered at various archaeological sites during his travels, especially in Mexico and Peru, which became subject to the 2017 exhibition Josef Albers in Mexico, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In the present work layers of nuanced yellow and orange envelop Albers’ archetypal Masonite surface to create mesmerisingly simple yet theoretically complex visual experience of both light and depth. Confirming Albers’ status as one of the most influential artists of the post-war era, they provide and autonomous polyphony in which rational thought is abandoned in favour of a truly sensuous experience of pure colour.
This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings by Josef Albers currently being prepared by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, and is registered under JAAF 1961.1.155.
Indeed, Albers’ deep-rooted interest in Latin America and his interest for the region’s indigenous art forged a crucial understanding for the subtle relationship between colour and form that led to his Homage to the Square paintings. Between 1935 and 1967, Albers and his wife Anni journeyed to Mexico some fourteen times. It was in the South that Albers encountered the magnificent architecture of ancient Mesoamerica and the abundance of pre-Columbian artefacts. Over the years, the couple amassed a collection of around 1,400 objects; antiquities that were to profoundly influence their creative output in the years to come. Albers’ experiences in Latin America therefore offer an essential context for understanding his unprecedented opus. His arrangements of squares and rectangles share the same aesthetic DNA to the abstract forms of Latin American pottery and textiles, and even extend to the history of architecture. This becomes the more apparent when looking at the artist’s fascinating collection of black-and-white photographs that document the pyramids, shrines and sanctuaries he discovered at various archaeological sites during his travels, especially in Mexico and Peru, which became subject to the 2017 exhibition Josef Albers in Mexico, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In the present work layers of nuanced yellow and orange envelop Albers’ archetypal Masonite surface to create mesmerisingly simple yet theoretically complex visual experience of both light and depth. Confirming Albers’ status as one of the most influential artists of the post-war era, they provide and autonomous polyphony in which rational thought is abandoned in favour of a truly sensuous experience of pure colour.
This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings by Josef Albers currently being prepared by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, and is registered under JAAF 1961.1.155.