JOAN MITCHELL | Untitled

Estate of the artist
The Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York
Cheim & Read, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2015

Exh. Cat., Berlin, Galerie Max Hetzler, Joan Mitchell, 2014, p. 38, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. The edges of the sheet are deckled and there are artist’s pinholes in each corner. There is a slight undulation to the sheet, most notably along the edges, inherent to the artist’s working method. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. The sheet is hinged verso to the mat intermittently along the edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“In the many pastels that Mitchell did in 1991…the drawings are a ceaseless whirlwind of harsh and tender lines, both visceral and visual. For her, art wasn’t confined to looking; it wasn’t about transcendence or revelation, but about the nature of being in the world. That is why in these last works ecstasy and premonition embrace in every ethereal cloud, in every tangled and twisting line, in every clash of red and blue. That is why her lines and colors hug and collide, and why the light seems both velvety and unsympathetic.”
John Yau in Exh. Cat., New York, Cheim & Read, Joan Mitchell: Works on Paper 1956-1992, 2007, n.p.