Blinky Palermo

Galerie Friedrich & Dahlem, Munich
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1967

Munich, Galerie-Verein in Haus der Kunst, Blinky Palermo 1964-76, 1980, pp. 46, 81 and 157, illustrated in colour
Zurich, Stiftung für konkrete und konstruktive Kunst, 256 Farben & Basics on Form. Werkdialoge zwischen Analogie und Widerspruch, 1989, p. 79, illustrated in colour
Düsseldorf, Kunsthalle und Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Blinky Palermo, 2007-08, p. 39, illustrated in colour, and p. 225, illustrated in installation view

Exhibition Catalogue, Krefeld, Museum Haus Lange, Palermo. Stoffbilder 1966-1972, 1977-78, no. 1
Erich Maas and Delano Greenidge, Blinky Palermo 1943-1977, New York 1989, pp. 80 and 95, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue, Leipzig, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst in Zusammenarbeit, Museum der Bildenden Künste, Blinky Palermo, 1993, p. 130, illustrated in colour
Thordis Moeller, Palermo: Bilder und Objekte, Vol. 1, 1994-95, no. 49, illustrated in colour
Architectural Digest, August-September 2000, p. 111, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original and the illustration fails to convey the shimmering quality of the acrylic satin. Condition: This work is in good and original condition. There are two very minor creases to the fabric at the extreme overturn upper right edge. Close inspection reveals a minute tear to the centre of the extreme right edge, very minor rubbing and an associated minute tear to the extreme tip of the bottom right corner, and a minute tear to the extreme overturn top edge towards the top left corner. The spots visible in the catalogue illustration are original and documented as original.
"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."

Executed in 1966-67, Rot-Rosa is the earliest example still extant of Blinky Palermo's Stoffbilder (Fabric Paintings), his most renowned and celebrated mature body of works, which he made between 1966 and 1972. After his studies at the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie and influenced by Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke, in 1966-67 Palermo created his first groundbreaking series of small Stoffbilder, which were sewn together vertically and made of a synthetic fabric similar to satin. In 1970-71 Palermo destroyed all the works from this series apart from the present Rot-Rosa, which survives as a unique and rare testimony of this seminal moment in the artist's career. In this period Palermo started his collaboration with Heiner Friedrich, his life-time dealer, and in 1966 he had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Friedrich & Dahlem in Munich, where he exhibited some of the works from this early series. As observed by Christine Mehring, Rot-Rosa "is important because it's the only surviving one from the first round, I suspect because Galerie Friederich & Dahlem had already sold it to the present owners" (Exhibition Catalogue, Düsseldorf, Kunsthalle und Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Blinky Palermo, 2007-08, p. 38).

Creating Fabric Paintings of sewn together ready-made fabrics of differing colours, Palermo broke the boundaries between sculpture and painting and reconciled the new semantic codes introduced by Abstract Expressionism and nascent Minimalism. With his signature gesture Palermo did not alter any of the quality of the fabrics he used. As observed by Pia Gottschaller, specifically regarding the present work Rot-Rosa, "many stains on the fabric were already present when the fabrics were sewn together, thereby connecting this early cloth picture to the haggled feel of many objects" (Pia Gottschaller cited in:Ibid, p. 65). By revolutionizing artistic canons and experimenting with unconventional media, Rot-Rosa is an archetypal example of Palermo's defining individual aesthetic.