This year marks the centenary of the artist Simon Hantaï (1922-2008), the occasion to celebrate his life and work and look closely at Etude/Blancs (two-sided), an undisputed masterpiece from two eponymous series, Etudes (1969-71) and Blancs (1973-74).
The painting is unique in the fact that it presents two sides, each of which is treated as a work in its own right. Indeed, this double-sided work is executed according to the technique developed by Hantaï in 1960, "folding as a method", which reflects the essential place, given to the unpredictability of the gesture and his creative process. From this period on-wards, the canvas is folded, painted, and then unfolded to reveal the result. Acquired in the 1980s by a private collector, the work has never appeared at auction sale: Etude/Blancs is a rediscovery. This work will be offered as a highlight of Sotheby's Art Contemporain Evening Auction, 8 June 2022.
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