HAROLD ANCART | Untitled

Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

This work is in excellent condition overall. The sheet is hinged verso intermittently to the backing board throughout the reverse. The surface irregularities are inherent to the artist's working method. Upon close inspection and under certain raking light there is evidence of scattered smudges and fingerprints, most noticeably in the top half of the sheet, which is inherent to the time of execution and the artist's working method. Framed in artist's chosen frame.
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.

"The history of painting that lives in these works like chromosomal traces enriches such dimensional unknowns. Fauvist and Symbolist flavors are joined by AbEx and Minimalist devices...Discrete veins of color and encroaching edges recall Clyfford Still’s seismic fissures...This is the planet of painting, after all, and Ancart’s space exploration is the exploration of painted space: More than depicting petals and flames, how might a painting itself grow like a flower, ignite like fire, and bring about forms that thrive as life-forms in the otherworld it always is?" Chinnie Ding, "Critics' Picks: Harold Ancart," Artforum, 18 June 2015, n.p.