Dan Graham

Private Collection, Germany
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colours: The colours are fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration, although the overall tonality is warmer and richer in the original. The illustration fails to convey the glossy quality of the photographs. Condition: The photographs are securely attached to the backing board at the extreme edges with adhesive and held beneath a mount. There is undulation to both photographs overall, notably directly above the right hand tree. There is a tiny media mark at the bottom edge approximately 4cm from the left corner of the top photograph and a pinhead size black media accretion towards the bottom edge approximately 5 cm from the left edge.
"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."

One of the pioneers of Minimalism, in the 1960s Dan Graham, along with other exhibiting artists from the movement such as Dan Flavin, Donald Judd and Sol Lewitt, moved beyond the confines of the gallery space. Graham did this by purchasing a cheap, instamatic camera with which to photograph suburban houses and diners in his native New Jersey, and sought to illustrate through his amateur photographs that the notion of the 'specific object' - which his contemporaries such as Judd were trying to promote through the reductive forms of Minimalism - could equally be applied to examples and contexts outside of the gallery space and which related to people's everyday lives. As Graham later explained, "I wanted to show that Minimalism was related to a real social situation that could be documented." (the artist cited in: Two-way Mirror Power: Selected Writings by Dan Graham on His Art, 1999)