Bernard Cohen

Studio La Città, Verona
Flowers East, London

Original canvas. There are faint stretcher bar marks about the edges and there is a very slight undulation in the lower right corner; otherwise the work appears in good original condition. Under ultraviolet light there appear to be no signs of retouching. Held in a plain white wooden frame. If you have any questions about the present work please contact the department on 0207 293 6424.
"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."

The present work was executed in the same year that Cohen exhibited to great acclaim at the 1966 Venice Biennale in the British Pavilion alongside Anthony Caro, Richard Smith, Harold Cohen and Robyn Denny. David Thompson aptly surmised in the introduction to the exhibition catalogue that 'Cohen's image is his continuous line. Sometimes it makes a shape which suggests meanings of its own. More often it is a self-defining activity, whose object is to annexe the white space of the canvas like an army of occupation over-running foreign territory. Its opponent is the light of white canvas, which it combats and overlays not so much by line alone or by colour, as by the massed tonal quality in the build-up of linear activity itself'.