ANDREAS GURSKY | 'Gardasee' (Lake Garda, Panorama)

chromogenic print, flush-mounted to acrylic, signed, titled, dated '1986/93,' and editioned '2/5' in ink on the reverse, framed, signed and dated 'produziert Mai '94' on the wood stretcher, 1986-93

Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg, New York, 15 April 2002, Sale 863, Lot 49

Marie Luise Syring, Andreas Gursky: Photographs from 1984 to the Present (Munich, 1998), p. 76 Martin Hentschel, Andreas Gursky: Werke/Works 80-08 (Ostfildern, 2008), pp. 112-3

While this large chromogenic print has not been examined out of its frame, it appears to be in generally excellent condition. The colors remain rich and saturated, with no apparent fading. When examined extremely closely in raking light, a few very superficial hairline scratches that do not appear to break the emulsion are visible.
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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‘Since 1992 I have consciously made use of the possibilities offered by electronic picture processing, so as to emphasize formal elements that will enhance the picture, or, for example, to apply a picture concept that in real terms of perspective would be impossible to realize’ (Andreas Gursky cited in, Lynne Cooke, 'Andreas Gursky: Visionary (Per)versions,’ Andreas Gursky – Photographs from 1984 to the Present, 1998, p. 14). Andreas Gursky’s arresting panorama Gardasee represents a pivotal moment in the artist’s career marking the photographer’s transition from his straight landscape photography made with a large-format camera to the large-scale, digitally-altered imagery of his mature oeuvre.  A precursor to Gursky’s iconic Rhine I and II (1996 and 1999), Los Angeles (1998), and James Bond Island (2007), Gardasee is an important early example in the artist’s dramatic landscape pantheon. 

While the negatives for this image were made in 1986, when Gursky made several three-frame city views, it was not until 1993, after he had begun to alter his pictures in the computer, that the present sweeping panoramic view was realized (see Peter Galassi, Andreas Gursky, The Museum of Modern Art, 2001, pp. 25, 37, and 43 for further discussion).  Since the dawn of photography in the 19^th century, artists have used material and darkroom techniques to manipulate their images.  Modern digital technology, however, allows Gursky not only to seamlessly join negatives, as in the case of Gardasee, but also to combine multiple perspectives and to add (or eliminate) details that otherwise would be impossible to capture in one frame. 

 Bordering Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige, Lake Garda is a popular holiday destination in northern Italy.  Its name derives from the Gothic warda or ‘observing.’  Gursky’s detailed panorama indeed benefits from and calls for careful observation.  It at first seems almost a minimalist composition, with the central horizon bisecting the composition, and with the mountains symmetrically positioned on each side of the picture.  A closer look, however, reveals an incredible depth of field with innumerable windsurfers dotting the horizon, the whole rendered in impossibly crystalline detail.  This interplay of minimalist structure on the macro level and micro attention to detail would become a key compositional tool for Gursky, and Gardasee offers prescient insight into this pivotal period for the artist.