OTTO PIENE | Rauchbild

Mannheimer Versicherung, Mannheim
Private Collection, Mannheim
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1991

Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate, although the canvas is slightly cooler in the original. Condition: This work is in good condition. There is some faint and unobtrusive canvas draw to the lower left and upper right hand corner. Very close inspection reveals very fine tension cracks to the two extreme horizontal edges. Further very close inspection reveals some evidence of historic framing to the upper left hand corner and some very light handling marks in isolated places along the all four extreme edges. Close inspection reveals a very fine repaired tear to the lower centre left of the black pigment, which fluoresces darkly when examined under ultra-violet light. Further close inspection under ultra-violet light, reveals some tiny specks of inpainting to all four extreme corner tips.
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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."

Executed in 1961, Rauchbild is one of Otto Piene’s experimental works, which the artist created throughout his career through smoke and soot. This striking monochromatic work suspends a floating orb of ash in its centre, raw in the aftermath of the canvas being physically burnt. This scorched nucleolus sits in contrast to the simplicity of its background, an elegant testament to the power of organic elementary forces. Piene found international acclaim representing his native Germany in the 1967 and 1971 Venice Biennale as well as participating in documenta 1954, 1964 and 1977. In the 1960s, he became widely known as the co-founder of the artist group ZERO, in partnership with the artist Heinz Mack and later Günther Uecker. The lack of institutional support for young artists at the time saw Piene and Mack hold frequent late night exhibition in their own studios. Many artists aligned themselves with this shared zeitgeist. Often operating on the periphery, these creatives were accumulating a collective vision which questioned traditional notions of art and its production. Other notable members of this group included Yves Klein and Lucio Fontana, who joined Piene in his quest to dissolve the boundaries of art. The success of the ZERO artists' first exhibitions boosted their critical acclaim and they gained attention from gallerists and collectors. Yves Klein in particular was offered a show by local gallerist, Alfred Schmela who had never previously seen his work. The ZERO movement encapsulated a group of artists who were known for their utopian ambition to re-energize and redefine European arts and culture in the sorrowing aftermath of World II. Piene said of Zero, “Zero is the incommensurable zone in which the old state turns into the new” (Otto Piene cited in: ‘Die Entstehung der Gruppe ‘Zero’’, The Times Literary Supplement, 3 September 1964, online). Reveling in the historic advancements of light and space, the ZERO artists utilised performance, kinetic and environmental art as new forms of inquiry. From Klein’s monochrome bodily impressions, to Fontana’s destructive slashing of the canvas, the group revolutionised the production of post-war art in Europe, through ground breaking experimentation and collaborative interchange.

In Rauchbild, Piene’s fixation with organic matter and form is evident in every way. His passion is interconnected with art, fused together via his unorthodox mode of production. The charred spherical isolation is rich in the memory of Piene’s process and challenges the notion of space with its ostensible eternal depth. Rauchbild is characteristic of the work created by the Zero group – possessed by innovation and fundamental in changing predisposed ideas of the potentialities of art.