Lot 220
  • 220

RAFAEL ZABALETA | Nocturno de los Gatos (The Night of the Cats)

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
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Description

  • Rafael Zabaleta
  • Nocturno de los Gatos (The Night of the Cats)
  • signed R Zabaleta (lower right)
  • oil on canvas
  • 93 by 81 cm., 36 1/2 by 31 7/8 in.
  • Painted in 1958.

Provenance

Private Collection, Madrid
Acquired by the present owner in Venice in 1960

Exhibited

Madrid, Dirección General de Bellas Artes, Rafael Zabaleta, 1959, n. 14, illustrated in the catalogue
Venice, XXX Biennale di Venezia, 1960
Madrid, Club Urbis, 1961, n. 6

Literature

AA. VV., R. Zabaleta, Madrid, 1961, illustrated
Juan Eduardo Cirlot, El arte del siglo XX, vol. II, illustrated p. 523
María Guzmán Pérez, Catalogación de la producción artística Zabaletiana, Granada, 1983, n. 420, pp. 721-722
María Guzmán Pérez, La pintura de Rafael Zabaleta, Granada, 1983, p. 410
María Guzmán Pérez, Rafael Zabaleta. Estudio Catalográfico. Óleos y acuarelas, Ed. Diputación de Jaén, 2010, listed n. 428, p. 388, not illustrated

Condition

The canvas is not lined and inspection under UV light reveals no signs of retouching. The canvas is gently undulating and there are some scattered minor paint losses, the largest of which is 0.5cm in diameter at the centre of the right edge. This work is in overall 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. 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

Nocturno de los Gatos is one of only three known oil paintings by the artist that features cats as its central theme. Portrayed amidst an ambient nocturnal background with a distant full moon, the trinity of cats form an isosceles triangle, cutting across the flat scene through the symmetrically composed longitudinal axes. The remaining elements evenly distributed to support the triangle, form a mathematical symmetry that achieves an equilibrium characteristic of the artist's works. A schematic œuvre that is defined by simple and obscure lines, the present work employ forms, volumes and contortions that give the appearance of a stained glass. Consequently, its framework divides light and dark and luminous colour to create a plasticity inherited from Cubism.

We would like to thank Rosa Valiente, Director of the Zabaleta Museum, for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.