Gunther Gerzso (1915-2000)

Galería de Arte Mexicano, Mexico City
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Hennique, Mexico City
Thence by descent to the present owner

Mexico City, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Museo de Arte Moderno, Gunther Gerzso: Pinturas, Dibujos, March-April 1970, no. 5 

Rita Eder, Gunther Gerzso: El Esplendor de la Muralla, Mexico, 1994, no. 101, p. 139, illustrated in color

This work has not been restored. The panel is flat and undamaged. The work has probably never been cleaned. The red passages have numerous darker dots. these dots do not appear in the surrounding elements. There are two large marks that look like fingerprints in the center of the right side that can most probably be removed. There are a couple of scuffs on the extreme edges as a result of frame abrasion, overall the work is in beautiful condition. (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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"Gunther Gerzso. Rumor has it that he is our best abstract painter. That is quite true, but it is not the whole story. He is one of the great Latin American painters."
Octavio Paz
Price and Meaning, 1963

A key figure of Mexico's avant-garde, Gunther Gerzso rose to prominence in the mid-1950s as a pioneer of non-figurative art. Gerzso's preference for the square - the most archetypal of design elements - reflects his understanding of ancient cultures and is particularly related to the belief in the four cardinal points or cosmic regions of the universe--a highly significant and recurrent symbol among Pre-Columbian cultures. Whether painted in isolation or as a group, the quad is an integral repository of meaning, operating as a unifying force in Gerzso's abstract landscapes. 

Naranja-verde-azul is indicative of Gerzso's mature work, a distinctive style of geometric abstraction characterized by the synthesis of Cubist formalism and Constructivist ideals along with his lifelong passion for Pre-Columbian architecture and mythology. The present painting is an exemplary work; an ancient labyrinth of irregular overlapping planes which transform themselves into "veiled" illusory spaces executed with unrivaled mastery.