Adolf Luther

Galerie Swart, Amsterdam
Acquired from the above in 1969

Utrecht, Centraal Museum, and travelling, Ruimtetijdkunst, 1971–1973
The Hague, Pulchri Studio, Peter Stuyvesant Collectie, 1972
Hasselt, Provinciaal Museum, A Choice within a Choice, 1981–1982
Leiden, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Beelden Kijken, 1984

The work has recently been restored under supervision of the Adolf Luther Stiftung in Krefeld and is in very good condition. The electric motor and moving parts are complete and move accordingly.
"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."

Through his work Adolf Luther made realities visible. He aimed at the visualization of natural phenomena, focusing on the perception of light, matter and space under different, mechanized conditions. Ultimately, the place of the natural representation, which mimics the encounter of light on matter and is seeking a high level of fidelity to nature, the use of nature itself, i.e. the visualization of light occur. Luther's so-called concave mirror objects are only one stop in his long-term, scientifically based effort to make the light as an energy artistically visible (cf. H. Stachelhaus Luther, Stuttgart 1979, 10).

Adolf Luther's Kinetisches Hohlspiegel Objekt  (1969) consists of  36  concave mirrors formed in five and vertically arranged rows and is rectangular shaped. A sober aluminum backing surrounds the mirror checkerboard arrangement. The use of prefabricated materials and their industrial production process excludes the recognition of an individual artist's handwriting. Rather suggests the serial arrangement of the elements of an arbitrary extendibility equally industrially-technical at how dynamic mirror acting sequence. In addition, provides the mechanical succession of identical-looking parts of simplicity.

So the static structure is actually contrary to the highly variable reflection. It decomposes the reflected viewer space in 36 variations on each of limited distorted mirror surface, which are constantly changing with the movement of the viewer. Given the reality of light and space conditions will be multiplied and manipulated visually. The result is an overall picture of abstract ornamental appearance, throws back at the same time as a kind of hinge that each of the mirrors reflected into the viewing space. The real 'on-screen' just before the object is an autonomous part, on the other hand also depends on the variable space and light environment. But ultimately it is the beholder who completes the work, or rather generates. Because only the look into  the mirror, which is determined by the spatial position of the viewer, by changing perspective and viewing angle, produces the moving and variable 'pre-image'.
So Kinetisches Hohlspiegel Objekt fragments a single room section that appears distorted by the concave surface of each mirror. Because of its location in the grid, but also caused by the changing external conditions, will never produce identical frames. The recipient is the subject of the work, while the artist disappears behind his property.

Adolf Luther's  Kinetisches Hohlspiegel Objekt is an instrument of seeing. This is only possible by the reflection of light that constitutes the images and ultimately makes itself evident (see exh. A. Luther, Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, 1974, 26).

This lot has been fully restored by the Adolf Luther Stiftung. We are grateful for their help in cataloguing this lot.
This work comes with a wooden base.