JACK BUSH | Soft Left

André Emmerich Gallery, New York
Harcus-Krakow Gallery, Boston
Collection of Georges and Lois de Menil, New York
André Emmerich Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in April 1981

New York, André Emmerich Gallery, Jack Bush, September - October 1967, illustrated in color on the cover
Boston, Harcus-Krakow Gallery, Jack Bush, 1970

Robert Fulford,"Bush and Hurtubise: Bigger and Better," Toronto Daily Star, 27 September 1967, p. 39
Emily Wasserman, "Jack Bush," Artforum, Vol. 6, No. 3, November 1967, p. 61, illustrated
Kenworth Moffett, "Jack Bush: Illusions of Transparency," artmagazine, Vol. 70, No. 1, March 1971, p. 43, illustrated
Karen Wilkin, Ed., Jack Bush, Toronto 1984, p. 109, illustrated in color
Karen Thomson, Ed., The Blema and H. Arnold Steinberg Collection, Montreal 2015, cat. no. 15, p. 24, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is light evidence of wear and handling along the edges and in the composition, most notably some scattered light abrasions throughout and a slightly darker abrasion in the center diagonal red. The colors are bright and fresh. In the top section of the left-most olive green vertical stripe and in the center orange triangle, there are a few minor pinpoint brown spot accretions. Under close inspection, scattered vertical green media drips are visible, particularly in the center blue, left-most green and center of the composition, likely from the time of execution. Between the red and green diagonal stripes there is a section of accretions and possible embedded fibers. Under Ultraviolet inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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 1967, Bush allowed the striped areas to take over entirely and produced a series of pictures based on banded configurations in which the color areas were made severely rectangular and related to the edges of the canvas by being made to run either parallel or diagonal to those edges...The tautness of these compositions is enhanced by a careful unmodulated paint application and by the use of color of unaccustomed intensity...In general, the large striped pictures of 1967 represent for Bush a synthetic peak and the accomplishment that finally released him from the claims of keeping up with major art elsewhere in the world."
Charles W. Millard, "Jack Bush," The Hudson Review, Vol. 24, No. 1, Spring 1971, pp. 147-148 

This painting will be included in the forthcoming Jack Bush Paintings: A Catalogue Raisonné by Dr. Sarah Stanners.