Ray Johnson (1927 - 1995)

ink, found paper collage and photograph on museum board mounted to museum board; signed and dated '1967'; titled on the reverse of the board

Willard Gallery, New York
Richard Feigen Gallery, New York
Sotheby's New York, 27 February 1976, Lot 128 
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner

New York, Willard Gallery, 'Duchamp Combs/ Ray Johnson,' April - May 1967, illustrated on exhibition flyer 
Chicago, Richard Feigen Gallery, 'Ray Johnson', October - November 1967
New York, Nassau County Museum of Fine Art, 'Works by Ray Johnson,' February - April 1984

This work is in very good condition overall. All elements are present and stable. There is minor rubbing to the extreme edges of the board, visible upon close inspection. There is general wear to the raised elements, possibly inherent to the artist's chosen media. Framed under glass.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

'Massage Ball,' the title of which relates to a series of lithographs the artist made the following year, is emblematic of Ray Johnson's use of collage to explore seemingly disparate, often pop-related imagery.  Johnson studied at the prestigious Black Mountain College, where he studied under artists including Josef Albers, Robert Motherwell and John Cage.  The present work was included in multiple exhibitions, and was featured on the exhibition flyer for the 1967 exhibition 'Duchamp Combs / Ray Johnson' at Willard Gallery, New York.