John McCracken - Contemporary Art Part I New York Thursday, November 12, 2009 | Phillips

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  • Provenance


    Acquired directly from the artist

  • Exhibited

    Milan, Arte Studio Invernizzi, John McCracken, December 10, 1998 - February 27, 1999

  • Literature

    Arte Studio Invernizzi, John McCracken, Milan, 1998, p. 26 (illustrated)

  • Catalogue Essay

    John McCracken’s monolithic, lacquer-covered “planks” were instrumental in the development of sixties minimalism. His solid, yet ephemeral sculptures questioned the definition of space and the experience of encountering objects. The present lot is particularly exemplary of McCracken’s oeuvre, evoking a fresh, organic quality reflective of his California roots. The work is serene and stately, yet it brings to mind the gloss of a surfboard or a new car painted fireengine red. McCracken was first exposed to New York minimalism through magazines, but his West Coast sensibilities informed the post-modern dialogue and contributed to the continued study of iconic structures.
    "…to experience their ‘objecthood’ is more than just to experience their ‘theatricality’, their surface, style, and ‘presence’, for even the word ‘beauty’ seems insuffificient… McCracken sets up an experience that takes you beyond Euclidean shapes toward a form of geometric representation that might be described as organic, and which evokes inner, meditative and ‘feel good’ experiences,"  (J. Rian, “John McCracken,” Frieze Magazine, May 1996).

15

Speak

1994

Polyester resin, fiberglass, and plywood.

6 1/4 x 40 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (15.9 x 102.2 x 23.5 cm).

Signed, titled and dated “McCracken Speak 1994” on the reverse.

Estimate
$90,000 - 120,000 

Sold for $110,500

Contemporary Art Part I

12 Nov 2009
New York