Nedo (1926-2001)

oil on canvas

Gisela Santander, Caracas
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1994

Caracas, Galería G, Nedo, 1962
Miami, The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Embracing Modernity: Venezuelan Geometric Abstraction, October 13, 2010-January 2, 2011, p. 51, illustrated in color

The original stretcher of this work has been reinforced. Although these reinforcements are slightly amateurish and clearly visible, there is no real issue with them. There are also small cardboard reinforcements beneath the outside stretcher bars on the reverse. The canvas has relaxed slightly over time, but only a new stretcher would properly correct this. The small spots of impasto throughout the composition are stable. The paint layer is similarly stable, except possibly in the upper left, where a few small cracks and areas of instability seem to have developed. The original paint layer is quite uneven when viewed under ultraviolet light. There is a rather broad area in the upper center, an area in the center of the left side, three places in the center of the work, a broad area in the center of the right side and another in the center of the right hand quadrant that read darkly under ultraviolet light. These areas are either original to the artist or are later restoration. If they are later restoration, they are very heavy handed but reasonably well matched in color. Regardless, the work looks very presentable. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
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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Prolific designer, painter and teacher, Nedo Mion Ferrario, also known simply as Nedo, emigrated from Italy to Venezuela in the 1950s. Fully conversant in European modernist ideals, Nedo is credited as having launched Venezuelan graphic design to the world stage. The present painting, one of the few existing works produced between the short but decisive period between 1959 and 1962, presents a highly accomplished synthesis of modernism and Nedo's visual investigations into textural and non-geometric abstraction. Exquisitely painted in monochromatic white, the work explores visual ambiguity by challenging our perception of space.