Miquel Barceló

Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zürich
Heiner Bastian, Berlin
Galería Ramón Sardá, Barcelona
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1989

Colours: The colours are fairly accurate int he catalogue illustration, although the overall tonality is slightly lighter with the grey tending more towards soft dove-grey in the original. Condition: The work is in very good condition. There are a few scattered hairline cracks to the left side of the lower edge, and to the thicker media on the left side of the upper edge. No restoration is apparent under ultraviolet 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."

 Painted in 1985, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi is a masterpiece loaded with historical references.  Across the centre of the composition a banner aflame at one end is adorned with the sacred words of the title, a Latin inscription of the classical maxim 'fame is fleeting'.  The blazing banner and the words upon it refer to the ceremony of Papal coronations, where a monk interrupts the service with a piece of burning flax attached to a pole.  When only smouldering embers remain, the monk announces "Pater sancte, sic transit gloria mundi" - words which remind the Pope that, regardless of the grand ceremony and the long history of the holy office, he is still a mortal man.  

During 1984, Barceló returned to Paris after a four month trip to Portugal, establishing his studio in an old church on the Rue de l'Ulm. From here he launched into a period of concentrated activity, visiting the Louvre for inspiration from Italian and Spanish masters and soaking up the spiritual atmosphere of his church-studio. Both places significantly influence the present work, where the textural plasticity and exaggerated gestures of the high baroque combine with religious imagery to resonate with both artist and viewer. 

Barceló's artistic development in the early 1980s was characterised by his fluctuating attitude to his Mediterranean heritage, vacillating between homage and outright rejection, and reflecting his intense, passionate and often contrary relationship with his cultural roots. This dialogue - or perhaps struggle - often produced works dominated by explicit references to the major issues and technical challenges of classical painting - composition, perspective, the treatment of light - in a constant re-appropriation and reappraisal of the history of art.  Barceló said of these works, 'During this period I painted still-lifes of a kind, in a state of transformation, where I insisted on the procedures of making the painting and tried to look closer at large-scale organic transformations.' (Barceló in Exhibition Catalogue, London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Miquel Barceló 1984-1994, 1994, p. 91)

In Sic Transit Gloria Mundi Barceló explores composition, perspective, colour, light, material and texture, mastering each crucial element and building a canvas rich with symbolic meaning.  Barceló here becomes a prism for the great art of the past, reflecting and refracting it with renewed vitality and technical virtuosity.