JOHN MCLAUGHLIN (1898 - 1976) | Untitled, 1954

oil on Masonite; signed, titled and dated ''54' on the reverse

Nicholas Wilder, Los Angeles
Acquired from the above by the present owner 'circa' 1975

This work is in very good condition overall. The painted artist's tape is present and stable along the turning edges. There are tonal and textural shifts throughout, consistent with the artist's working method. There is minor wear to the extreme edges of the painting, with associated pinpoint paint loss, in some instances revealing the underlying Masonite, all of which is visible upon close inspection. There are scattered pinpoint accretions and minor surface soiling throughout, visible upon close inspection. There is a 1/2 inch loss at the upper edge of the central light blue passage, where a minor area of the underlying Masonite is visible. There is minor lifting with associated paint loss at the lower edge of the black painted passage. There are two pinpoint areas of pigment on top of two pinpoint losses in the red painted passage, which appear to be the same pigment the artist used to paint the tape on the turning edge above. There is discoloration, pinpoint accretions and some areas of minor lifting to the artist's painted tape along the turning edges. Under Ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed. Please contact Harrison Tenzer at 212 894 1862 for a professional condition and treatment report prepared by Sandra Amann for this painting.
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.

McLaughlin drew his artistic inspiration from Asian art, which he was exposed to during his childhood and then later as an adult living in Japan. Much of McLaughlin’s work features precisely painted geometric forms in beige, yellow, indigo and black. The present work is reminiscent of the works of Piet Mondrian with its precise forms and the juxtaposition of neutral and bold colors. McLaughlin’s work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others.