Raymond Pettibon

Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in excellent condition overall. There is a slight undulation to the sheet, which is inherent to the artist's working method. Both of the left and right edges are deckled. There are artist's pinholes in all four corners of the sheet. This work is hinged verso to the matte intermittently along the edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.
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Raymond Pettibon’s impressive and diverse body of work is one which resists any strict ontological categorization. Creating a unique visual imagery that gleans across an array of motifs from sexuality, American sports to Nineteenth-century literature. Born in Tuscon, Arizona and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, Pettibon discovered his artistic passion while initially identifying as a punk in the late-70s, creating album covers for relatively obscure punk bands, and self-publishing ‘zines. As an expert draughtsman with no formal training, Pettibon transformed his style by studying the drawings of Francisco Goya and William Blake and the prose of James Joyce and Marcel Proust as the ultimate form of a D.I.Y. (the Do It Yourself subculture of the 1970s) product.

Pettibon’s surfer works are undoubtedly his most iconic; when asked what his favorite thing to draw is, the artist has responded: “Waves. To me, it is natural. I grew up with ocean views—not even so much from the shore in real life but rather from surf magazines. It’s imagery that, for a lot of people around here anyway, is pornography.” (Interview with Nicholas Gazin for Vice Magazine, November 2010, vol. 17, no. 11, p. 71) For an artist whose work is filled with a fusion of text and imagery, surfing—a Californian culture with its own visual and verbal language—is an ideal subject matter.

Untitled (On What Ground) presents an upright surfer upright amidst an ominous wave that is poised to crash on the defenseless rider at any moment. A fibrous paper absorbs the wispy aqueous blues and green pigments and is highlighted by drips in the same hues that mimic and accent the volume and force of the wave’s curve. Instead of appearing as a diminutive figure trying to wrestle the vast ocean, the surfer here seems to contend with the wave with a bold look of sheer zeal and concentration. Fascinated by text and its effect on visual representation, Pettibon has inserted cryptically ironic phrases into the waves as if to evoke the dialogue between the surfer and the wave, all answering the title question, On What Ground.