Ugo Rondinone

Matthew Marks Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2003

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is softer in the original, with the central petrol target tending more to charcoal grey and the dove grey outer edge tending more to taupe. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is a minute handling mark to the centre of the bottom extreme edge. No restoration is apparent when examined 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."

'Underlying all Rondinone's work is a tension between interior essence and exterior appearance, enacted in the first instance through a disparity between form and content. India ink drawings of Arcadian, preindustrial landscapes and hypnotic target paintings, rendered in hazy concentric circles of vivid colour, induce feelings of meditative, transcendental reflection. Yet the surface of his target paintings is flat and blurred, a depthless plane that contradicts the absorptive qualities they promise... played out at both visual and linguistic levels, they constantly refer to something other than the works themselves... the target paintings recall colourfield painting and the mandalas of the 1960s psychaedelia; each inhabits these traditions like a masquerade. They evoke but do not reconcile personal and cultural expression, individual artistic practice and a wider aesthetic discourse. Turn to the titles furthermore, and both are named with the day and date of their production. Any promise of spiritual fulfilment is undercut by the banality of a daily act transformed into a testament of presence and of ritualised activity.'
Andrea Tarsia, Ed., Ugo Rondinone: Zero Built a Nest in my Naval, London 2005, p. 273