Lot 46
  • 46

László Moholy-Nagy

Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • László Moholy-Nagy
  • Untitled (fgm80A), 1923 - 1925
  • Photogram
Silver print, printed c. 1929. Signed L. Moholy=Nagy in ink on the reverse. Mounted and framed.

Provenance

Collection Manfred Heiting
Private European Collection

Literature

Renate Heyne, Moholy-Nagy. The Photograms, catalogue raisonné, Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz, 2009, ill. p. 231.

Condition

This silver print is in very good general condition. The corners very slightly worn and each with a pinhole due to the printing process. In the centre is a tiny spot of retouching.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This specific photogram marks a turning point in Moholy-Nagy's experiments as Renate Heyne mentions in the catalogue raisonné of Moholy-Nagy's Photograms, "Whether this photogram on developing paper was made in Weimar or Dessau cannot be said with certainty. It could belong to the first examples that Moholy-Nagy reversed in tonal value (presumably toward the end of his Weimar photogram activities, assuming that he started with small formats in Weimar and came to use the 18 x 24 cm format).’

As referenced in the Catalogue Raisonné, in an enlarged 40 x 30 cm format, this photogram is one of the ten subjects in what is known as the 'Giedion portfolio', produced around 1929. A copy of this photogram is known to be in the collection of the Kupferstichkabinett in the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, Fotostiftung Schweiz, Wintherthur, the Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich, the Max Bill Collection, Zurich, Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Berlin and Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago