Patrick Caulfield

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

Alan Cristea, Mel Gooding & Kathleen Dempsey, Patrick Caulfield: The Complete Prints 1964-1999, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 1999, p.15;
Richard Riley, 'Chronology', p.138, in Marco Livingston et al., Patrick Caulfield, Hayward Gallery Publishing, London 1999.

The board appears to be in good original condition. There is a tiny scratch to the paint surface in the lower right quadrant. Otherwise the paint surface is in good overall condition. Held in a simple wooden rectilinear frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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.
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The present painting is one of a group that Caulfield produced in 1986 which provided the basis of an important suite of four screenprints published by Waddington Galleries in 1987.

In this body of work, Caulfield finally loses the last vestige of the black outline that had been the hallmark of his work from the early 1960s, and introduced a form of almost abstract imagery which uses an off-stage light source to throw oblique shapes and shadows that define the forms. The pure monochromatic image thus presents flicks between pure abstraction and representation, and by disturbing the picture surface with a raised flat panel, further enlivened by the use of both matt and gloss finishes, the viewer is left with a good deal of ambiguity.