RICHARD LINDNER | The Couple

Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris
Private Collection, France

New York, Robert Fraser Gallery, Richard Lindner, 14 June - 14 July 1962
Paris, Galerie Claude Bernard, Richard Lindner, 14 May - July 1965; catalogue, no. 2, illustrated (n.p.)
Turin, Galatea, Richard Lindner, 12 November - 8 December 1965, no. 7
Rome, Il fante di spade, Galleria il fante di spade, 2-22 January 1966, no. 7
Darmstadt, Kunsthalle Menschenbilder, Menschenbilder, 14 September - 17 November 1968; catalogue, no. 124, illustrated in colour, p. 215
Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Rotterdam, Boymans-van-Beuningen; Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle; Zurich, Kunsthaus; Vienna,  Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts; Richard Lindner, 5 January 1974 - 24 November; catalogue, no. 21, illustrated
St. Paul de Vence, Fondation Maeght; Liège, Musée Saint-Georges, Lindner, 12 May - October 1979; catalogue, no. 14, illustrated, p. 68

Ludwig Schreiner, Die Gemälde des neunzehnten und zwanzigsten Jahr-Hunderts in der Niedersächsischen Landesgalerie Hannover, Munchen, 1968-1969, illustrated in colour, p. 50
Dore Ashton, Richard Lindner, New York, 1970, no. 86, illustrated
Werner Spies, XXe sciecle, Richard Lindner, 1980, illustrated, p. 54
Werner Spies, Lindner, Paris, 1980, illustrated, p. 68
Werner Spies, Claudia Loyall, Richard Lindner, Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings, Regensburg, 1999, no. 58, illustrated in colour, p. 70 

The colours are fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration although the overall tonality is slightly warmer in the original work. The work is executed on its original canvas and is not relined. The edges of the canvas are covered by the frame. As visible in the catalogue illustration, stabilised cracks are located throughout the surface. There is a tiny paint loss to the shoulder of the left figure, visible upon close inspection only. The surface is irregular, certainly inherent to the artist technique and chosen support. Under Ultra Violet Light inspection several restored areas fluoresce, most notably in the beige area of the lower right quadrant and in the dark green area in the lower left quadrant. Tiny areas equally fluoresce in the lower right corner. The former restoration in the beige area is also visible on the reverse of the canvas. Please refer to the Contemporary Art Department for additional images (joelle.koops@sothebys.com).
"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."

The constructs Richard Lindner delivers through his works are first and foremost those of the worrying and boisterous civilization we live in. In this artificial, suggestive and fantasy-like universe, populated with characters who look as outlandish as they seem familiar, our behaviors are ridiculed, disguised under the traits of an erotic and scandalous environment which exerts a fascination for us, rendering them all the more desirable. Jean-Louis Prat