- 138
Norman Bluhm
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Norman Bluhm
- Idol
- signed and dated '59; signed, titled and dated 59 on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 110 by 70 in. 279.4 by 177.8 cm.
Provenance
Estate of the Artist
Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles
Private Collection, San Francisco
Private Collection, San Diego
Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles
Private Collection, San Francisco
Private Collection, San Diego
Exhibited
Rockford Art Museum, Reuniting an Era: Abstract Expressionists of the 1950s, November 2004 - January 2005
San Diego, Scott White Contemporary Art, Norman Bluhm: 1956-1960, September - November 2008, p. 17 and 24, illustrated in color
San Diego, Scott White Contemporary Art, Norman Bluhm: 1956-1960, September - November 2008, p. 17 and 24, illustrated in color
Literature
Marika Herskovic, ed., American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950's, an Illustrated Survey, New York, 2003, p. 44, illustrated in color
Condition
This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling to the edges of the canvas, resulting in some loss and exposure of the raw canvas along the extreme edges. There is some very subtle rippling to the canvas along the sides visible under raking light, most likely from being slightly slack on its stretcher. There is evidence of fine, horizontal hairline craquelure along the top and bottom of the canvas and a few scattered pinpoint losses. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
*Please note the auction begins at 9:30 am on November 14th.*
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
"Bluhm is the only artist working in the idiom of abstract-expressionism who has a spirit similar to that of Pollock, which is to say that he is out - beyond beauty, beyond composition, beyond the old-fashioned kind of pictorial ambition."
(Frank O'Hara, 1962, as quoted in Frank O'Hara, Standing Still and Walking in New York, New York, 1983)
(Frank O'Hara, 1962, as quoted in Frank O'Hara, Standing Still and Walking in New York, New York, 1983)