Josef Albers

Gilbert Brownstone & Co., New York
Private Collection
Sale: Christie's, London, Twentieth Century Art, 9 December 1999, Lot 387
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is warmer in the original, with the outer turquoise square tending more towards true green. Condition: Please refer to department for a professional condition report.
"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."

This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings by Josef Albers currently being prepared by the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation

 

 

On my "Homage to the Square"

Seeing several of these paintings next to each other
makes it obvious that each painting
is an instrumentation in its own.

This means that they all are of different palettes,
and, therefore, so to speak, of different climates.

Choice of the colors used, as well as their order, is
aimed to an interaction –
influencing and changing each other forth and back.

Thus, character and feeling alter from painting to painting
without any additional "hand writing"
or, so-called, texture.

Though the underlying symmetrical and quasi-concentric
order of squares remains the same in all paintings
– in proportion and placement –
these same squares group or single themselves,
connect and separate in many different ways.

In consequence, they move forth and back, in and out,
and grow up and down and near and far, as well as enlarged and diminished.
All this, to proclaim color autonomy
as a means of a plastic organization.

(The artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Museum of Modern Art, Josef Albers: Homage to the Square, 1964)