Lot 148
  • 148

Willem De Kooning

Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description

  • Willem de Kooning
  • Self-Portrait in the Wilderness
  • signed
  • oil and charcoal on board
  • 20 by 22 in. 50.8 by 55.9 cm.
  • Executed in 1947.

Provenance

Allan Stone Gallery, New York
Lawrence Groo, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Exhibited

Detroit, J. L. Hudson Gallery, Willem de Kooning: Three Decades, March - April 1968
Roslyn, Nassau County Museum of Fine Arts, The Abstract Expressionists and their Precursors, January - March 1981, cat. no. 17, p. 31, illustrated in color
Evanston, Terra Museum of Art, Solitude-Inner Visions in American Art, September - December 1982, cat. no. 53, p. 32, illustrated in color
Southampton, Parrish Art Museum, Painting Naturally: Fairfield Porter and His Influences, April - June 1984, illustrated
New York, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, Evolution in Action, September - October 2011

Literature

Charles Stuckey, "Bill de Kooning and Joe Christmas," Art in America, March 1980, No. 5, p. 70, illustrated in color
Exh. Cat., New York, Haunch of Venison, Abstract Expressionism: A World Elsewhere, 2008, fig. 4, p. 17, illustrated in color

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. The surface is bright and fresh for a painting of its age. There are several scattered spot accretions and a few hairline abrasions to the bottom edge. 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.

Catalogue Note

Painted during a crossroads in his life, De Kooning's Self-Portrait in the Wilderness, along with the magnificent Self-Portrait from 1947, are two of the few extant self-portraits painted by this most important of 20th century artists. At the time, de Kooning was an unfortunate 43 year old who was confronting severe financial difficulties and had not yet even been granted a solo gallery show. Also enduring an unraveling marriage to Elaine de Kooning, the artist found himself on the precipice of crisis facing economic, emotional and creative ruin. Struggling to reconcile the figurative and abstract forces that were propelling his work toward the inexorable apex of Woman I, de Kooning produced this incredibly intimate and revealing portrait of himself as a lone man in the wilderness.

Here, naked, alone, gazing skyward toward an unknown focus, de Kooning portrays himself holding what appears to be a paintbrush in one hand, while the other grasps his chest in an impassioned gesture mixing angst and exasperation. He is surrounded, almost enveloped by deep greens and ochres which at once recall the majestic landscapes of his beloved Hamptons, while simultaneously representing the abstract shapes which were a hallmark of his work at the time. Reminiscent of subjects such as St. John in the Wilderness , St. Francis in Ecstasy, and the Temptation of Christ, de Kooning creates a composition that, similar to his entire oeuvre, balances tradition with progress.