Ali Tayar

Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection of Mark McDonald

Laetitia Wolff and Wang Xu, eds., Ali Tayar:  Parallel Design, Shanghai, Berkeley, CA, 2001, pp. 58-59

This screen is in excellent condition. The screen is comprised of 30 aluminum panels. Each is an independent piece and is held in place by the top rubber fastener and the bottom rubber foot. The screen with some articulation once fully installed. A fragile work, because of the design, in that if the screen is not handled carefully when adjusting, the top rubber fasteners will come loose. Sotheby's will be disassembling the work after the exhibition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the summer of 1995 I leased my space at 72 Gansevoort St, across from Florent, from the dreaded Bill Gottlieb, legendary slum landlord of some 300 buildings mostly in seedy areas of the West Village. Besides Helen and Brice Marden, Lex Kaplan, and Florent himself, one of my new neighborhood friends was the architect, Ali Tayar, who shared my passion for Eames, Aalto, Breuer, and Rietveld. During my first year, I often parked my truck inside the space as I had a standard ugly metal roll-down garage door and considered the space more of a warehouse than gallery. As business improved and people actually followed me to this forsaken district, Ali convinced me that I needed an "urban calling card"; a more upscale entry worthy of the inventory inside, rather than a reflection of the squalor outside.

Ali's concept of a brutal, massive, yet delicate design was inspired by the gravity-based movement of carcasses of beef on the tracks, hooks, and pulleys throughout the meat packing area. He designed and oversaw the engineering and construction of the 12 foot wide by 7 foot tall glass swinging door and the exterior counter-weight security gate that became an architectural landmark of the area. I'll never forget the day the fabricator completed the very tricky installation of all the moving parts. As we opened and closed the massive door, and raised and lowered the perforated aluminum gate for the very first time,  Florent and his rag-tag band of artists, actors, and drag-queen waiters all stood on the curb outside the diner and gave us a rousing standing ovation. It worked brilliantly and looked even better! Soon after, I had an exhibition in the gallery of furniture designs by Ali Tayar, in celebration of the completion of our gate project. It was my first foray into showing work by a contemporary designer. A few years later, Ali used the gate material as inspiration for this screen (which is an extra long example) which he designed in extruded aluminum for International Contract Furniture.  -MM