Wols

Galerie René Drouin, Paris
Jacques Ulmann, Paris
Galerie Zwirner, Cologne
Acquired directly from the above in 1984

Bern, Kunsthalle, Tendances Actuelles III, 1955, no. 123
Venice, XXIX Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte, 1958, no. 9, p. 152
Paris, Galerie Iolas, Wols, 1965, no. 8
Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie; London, Royal Academy of Arts, German Art in the 20th Century, 1986, no. 212 (no. 214, London), illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to fully convey the textured surface in the original. Condition: This work is very good condition. The scratching and marks on the surface are all original to the artist's working method. No restoration is apparent 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."

Described by Norman Rosenthal as "a very special masterpiece" on the occasion of the 1986 exhibition German Art in the 20^th Century at the Royal Academy in London, Sans Titre from 1946-7 epitomises Wols' contribution to art history of the immediate Post-war period in Europe. Characterised by a central concentration of dark pigment juxtaposed against light paint and raw canvas, Sans Titre offers a poetic abstraction of organic imagery punctuated by intense ruptures of concentric sanguine red graphic marks. The relatively expansive dimensions of the canvas encouraged Wols to accentuate his physical gesture by vigorously applying brush strokes with his full arm on the whole surface. Oil paint allowed Wols to a broader freedom of experimentation and of using unconventional methods, such as thinly scratching the painterly surface with the wooden end of the paintbrush.     

As an émigré in France after the liberation, Wols became a leading figure of a new artistic movement later theorized by Michel Tapié as Art Informel and together with fellow artists such as Jean Fautrier and Jean-Paul Riopelle, became appreciated for non-representational painting and rejection of formalism in favour of a more intuitive expression. Highlighting Wols' groundbreaking approach to painting Georges Matthieu wrote in 1963: "After Wols, everything has to be done afresh" (Exhibition Catalogue, Edinburgh, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Wols: Paintings, 1990, p. 6).  Marked by the trauma of his internment during the Second World War, Wols contributed to Art Informel by combining his innovative technique with a new revolutionary psychological dimension in his work. Wols' work came as a direct expression of his troubled mind and Jean-Paul Sartre identified him as the very embodiment of the 'existential artist'. Having departed from this world at the premature age of thirty-eight, Wols became in a very short period of time a leading figure in art in Post-War Europe and Sans Titre is a powerful marker of this pivotal reputation.