- 121
Alan Davie
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Alan Davie
- Anthropomorphic Figure No. 2
- oil on canvas
- 213 by 172cm.; 80 by 67¾in.
- Executed in April 1958.
Provenance
The Artist, from whom acquired directly by the present owner in 2007
Exhibited
Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery, Alan Davie Retrospective, June - July 1965, cat. no.16 (as Anthropomorphic Figures No. 2).
Literature
Alan Bowness, Alan Davie, Lund Humphries, London, 1967, cat. no.194, p.114 (as Anthropomorphic Figures No.2 (with Yellow Fruit));
Douglas Hall and Michael Tucker, Alan Davie, Lund Humphries, London, 1992, cat. no.243, p.172.
Douglas Hall and Michael Tucker, Alan Davie, Lund Humphries, London, 1992, cat. no.243, p.172.
Condition
The work has been laid down to canvas with a new stretcher. There are lines of cracquelure in places, more prominent in the upper right corner and along the right vertical edge. One or two lines appear to have been re-touched. There are minor instances of craquelure elsewhere. There is possibly discolouration to an old varnish.
Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of restoration or retouching.
Subject to the above the work is in very good overall condition, with fresh and thick impasto elements.
The work is 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. 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."
"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
'Painting has taught me much, mainly that it is impossible to paint a picture and that if a picture is to be, it must happen in spite of me rather than because of me. Yet only through me (the individual) can the formless psyche find substance. The work when it happens will be a revelation of something hitherto hidden. Thus the artist must be a prophet; that is, one who utters that which is meaningful in a timeless sense, not out of reason or knowledge or the past, but out of the eternal NOW which is everlastingly fresh and wonderful.'(Alan Davie, ‘Towards a New Definition of Art, Some Notes on (NOW) Painting’, reproduced in the exhibition catalogue for Alan Davie, Galerie Charles Lienhard, Zurich, April-May 1960)