Howard Hodgkin

Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Collection of Guillermo Gonzalez Guajardo, Mexico (acquired from the above)
Offer Waterman Fine Art, Ltd., London
Acquired from the above by the present owner

New York, Gagosian Gallery, Howard Hodgkin: Paintings, May - June 1998 

Marla Price, Howard Hodgkin: The Complete Paintings, Catalogue Raisonné, New York 2006, cat. no. 298, p. 298, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling along the edges with some associated areas of loss, most notable along the bottom edge, in the center of the top edge, at the upper left edge and at all four corners, which exhibit minor losses to the wood, and some minor separation to the wood on the turning edges, particularly along the upper right edge, lower left edge and lower right edge. Stabilized drying cracks are visible throughout the outer frame area of the composition, inherent to the artist’s working method and chosen medium. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. Under very close inspection, a minor loss is visible to the interior bottom edge of the frame just left of center. 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.

"Baudelaire observed that there are basically two ways of approaching portraiture: either as 'history' (and by implication verisimilitude) or as 'fiction.' 'The first is to set forth the contours and the modelling of the subject faithfully, severely and minutely...The second method, which is the special province of the colorists, is to transform the portrait into a picture—a poem with all its accessories, a poem full of space and reverie. This is a more difficult art because it is a more ambitious one.' Hodgkin travels the more arduous path. His portraits involved layers of memory that are evoked through the process of painting, and vary immensely in their readability and the way they refer."

Michael Auping, "A Long View" in Michael Auping and John Elderfield, Howard Hodgkin Paintings, London 1995, pp. 22-23