Dirk Skreber

Kerstin Engholm Galerie, Vienna
Kantor Gallery, Los Angeles
Private Collection, California
Acquired directly from the above by the previous owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is richer and more vibrant in the original with more pink undertones in the sky. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is very minor wear to the top right hand corner and in places along the top extreme edge. There are several drying cracks in places throughout the composition, most notably three vertical hairline cracks towards the centre of the top half of the composition and a group of further hairline cracks towards the centre right of the bottom half of the composition. There are several small areas of light craquelure to the top of the twisted tree on the right of the composition in the forest green paint. There is a further small area of craquelure towards the top of the left tree. There are further very small intermittent drying cracks long the three black parallel vertical lines of paint. All cracks are unobtrusive and visible only upon close inspection. There are faint finger marks towards the centre left of the top edge. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

Dirk Skreber explores natural disasters and near-miss accidents, creating monumental icons of beauty. His epic paintings embrace catastrophe, offering a peaceful stillness in the face of a grim reality. Viewed through the awkward angles of a surveillance camera, his paintings are sublime mediations of death and isolation. Here Skreber's choice of perspective and vantage point secludes the house which is exacerbated by the emptiness of the sky. The painting's elongated format and the house's geometric architecture accentuates the strict linear composition of the work which adds to the sense of isolation. 

Although there is a stillness in the foreground, two bursts of debris and two painfully twisted trees on either side of the house create a great sense of foreboding, heightened by the shading of the sky which darkens as it reaches the roof. One of the windows of the house emits a dull glow which generates an even greater sense of tension in this image of surburban tranquility overcome with imminent disaster. Unlike Warhol's series of Death and Disaster paintings and his graphic portrayal of their shocking aftermath, Skreber's subject commands a serene and impenetrable quality that here concentrates on an ominous arrival which holds, however, a comparable sense of serene beauty.