Howard Hodgkin

M. Knoedler and Co., Inc., New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Cologne, Michael Werner Gallery; New York, M. Knoedler and Co., Inc., Howard Hodgkin: Recent Paintings, September - December 1990, cat. no. 13, illustrated in color
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Düsseldorf, Kunstverein für Rheinland und Westfalen, Howard Hodgkin: Paintings, October 1995 - October 1996, cat. no. 242, pp. 113 and 193, illustrated in color

Andreas Beyer, "Howard Hodgkin: Titelei," Kunstforum, Vol. 110, November - December 1990, p. 221, illustrated in color
John Russell, "A Hodgkin Original," The New York Times Magazine, November 11, 1990, pp. 56-57, illustrated in color
Richard Cork, "Painting to Ease the Passing of Time," The Times Saturday Review, December 1, 1990, p. 16, illustrated in color
William Crozier, "Howard Hodgkin: The Artist's Eye," Modern Painters, Vol. 3, Winter 1990-1991, p. 21, illustrated in color
Raimund Stecker, "Venezianische Emotionen - Howard Hodgkin, ein nicht nur englischer Maler," Das Kunst-Bulletin, January 1992, p. 21, illustrated in color
Andrew Graham Dixon, Howard Hodgkin, New York, 1994, pp. 104-105, illustrated in color
A.S. Byatt, "The Colour of Feeling," Independent on Sunday, July 10, 1994, p. 31, illustrated in color
Andrew Decker, "Art from the Heart," Diversion Magazine, October 1995, p. 170, illustrated in color
Stephen Wallis, "Shows Not to Miss," Art & Antiques, November 1995, illustrated in color
Craig Raine, "What an Optic Nerve," Sunday Times, November 5, 1995, illustrated
Anonymous, "Metropolitan Surveys Work of Contemporary British Painter, Antiques and the Arts Weekly, December 22, 1995, illustrated
Marla Price, Howard Hodgkin: The Complete Paintings, Catalogue Raisonné, London, 2006, cat. no. 242, p. 252, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling along the edges. There is some hairline craquelure in the thickly painted areas, most notably in the white painted area at the lower center. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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.

"I am a representational painter, but not a painter of appearances. I paint representational pictures of emotional situations.” Howard Hodgkin

 

Morocco and its landscape have proven a distinctive influence on European artists since it was first explored by the continent’s settlers centuries ago. From Eugene Delacroix to Henri Matisse and now Hodgkin the allure of the land and its people has inspired works of striking graphic quality and ebullient colors. Tangiers, with its rich cultural history since the 5th Century, has in particular proven to be a city of great importance for artists. Delacroix left the city espousing the great color and light of the city and it soon became an obligatory homage for painters to visit the city in order to experience it for themselves. The painter Matisse spent time in the city and recalled "I have found landscapes in Morocco, exactly as they are described in Delacroix's paintings.” The impact of the landscape and its luscious colors is exemplified in a work such as Periwinkles / Moroccan Garden. Tangier, winter-spring, 1912. The verdant vegetation almost pulsates with life. One can clearly see this same energy and life in Hodgkin's In Tangier. One would find it difficult not to identify the huge and heavy-leaved palm tree that is the principal element in the picture. The gestural and painterly figuration of the tree allows for a more abstracted and subjective reaction to the scene before us and opens up a more emotional connection between the work and viewer. It is precisely this abstraction of appearance that allows Hodgkin's work to so successfully elicit an emotional reaction thus fostering an especially intimate relationship with the work.