Lot 145
  • 145

OTTO PIENE | Untitled

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • PIENE Otto
  • Untitled
  • each: signed and dated 1962 on the reverse 
  • oil and soot on canvas, in three parts
  • each: 23.5 by 17.5 cm. 9 1/4 by 6 7/8 in.

Provenance

Ad Libitum Gallery, Antwerp
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the whites in the right hand panel tend more towards true white and the reds in the central panel are slightly warmer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good and original condition. Extremely close inspection reveals some light handling marks to the left canvas. Further very close inspection reveals some faint drying cracks to the edges of the middle canvas and some light frame rubbing to the extreme right edge. Further very close inspection reveals some faint drying cracks to the lower edge and some unobtrusive, tiny rub marks to the upper left and lower right corner tips of the right hand canvas. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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

“From the beginning we looked upon the term [ZERO] not as an expression of Nihilism, or as a Dada-like gag, but as a word indicating a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning as at the countdown when rockets take off: zero is the incommensurable zone in which the old state turns into the new" (Otto Piene, 'The Development of the Group "ZERO'.'', in: The Times Literary Supplement, 3 September 1984, pp. 812-13).