Provenance
Haunch of Venison, London
Exhibited
London, Haunch of Venison, LOVE/DEATH: The Tristan Project, 21 June–2 September 2006
Literature
LOVE/DEATH: The Tristan Project, exh. cat., Haunch of Venison, London, 2006, p. 17 (illustrated)
Catalogue Essay
Bill Viola is acclaimed internationally as one of the world's leading contemporary artists. For over 30 years he has been at the forefront of developing the medium of video art, helping to establish it as an essential genre of contemporary visual art.
Viola's work focuses on universal human experiences, of birth, death and the unfolding of consciousness. While it often draws on the conventions of Western art, especially the medieval and Renaissance periods, the work is also informed by Viola's involvement with the spiritual traditions of Zen Buddhism as well as his studies of Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufism. Viola has expanded the content and historical reference points of video art, while simultaneously exploring the technological potentials of the medium, breaking boundaries and pushing video to its limits. He established himself as a true master with an unmistakable hand; through slow moving images and his detailed focus on human bodies, he creates visually fascinating and emotionally touching insights.
The present lot, Basin of Tears, forms one of the seven parts of Purification. In Purification, a man and a woman independently undertake the ritual preparations for symbolic sacrifice required for their transformation and rebirth. This process methodically unfolds in seven contiguous image sequences across a time span of fifty minutes. The individual sections are: ‘The Approach'; ‘The Arrival'; ‘The Disrobing'; ‘Ablutions'; ‘Basin of Tears'; ‘The Dowsing'; and ‘Dissolution'.
In Basin of Tears, two videos are projected side by side on two adjacent screens mounted to the wall. This video diptych creates an incredible imagery, colours and the sensual quality of water are presented vividly, just like in an old master painting. Viewers find themselves in a transcendental atmosphere; through the slow pace, the large but still intimate size and the exclusion of any sound, Viola creates a truly fascinating artwork with a powerful visual effect. It seeks to engage the viewer in a visceral and emotional experience that goes to the roots of the human condition and its spiritual sources.

26

Bill Viola

Basin of Tears

2005
Colour video diptych on plasma display mounted on wall.
Overall: 102 x 122 cm (40.2 x 48 in).
This work is from an edition of five and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Estimate
£150,000 - 250,000 Ω

Sold for £181,250

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

17 Feb 2011
London

1
Wade Guyton
Untitled
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £213,650
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2
Mary Heilmann
Rude Boy
Estimate £70,000 - 90,000 ‡
Sold for £103,250
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3
Jim Lambie
Night Divides the Day
Estimate £40,000 - 60,000 ♠
Sold for £91,250
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4
Lucio Fontana
Concetto spaziale, Attesa
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000
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5
Günther Uecker
Mutation
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 ♠
Sold for £223,250
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6
Robert Morris
Felt
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000
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7
Georg Herold
Untitled
Estimate £40,000 - 60,000 ♠
Sold for £121,250
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8
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ♠
Sold for £361,250
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9
Peter Fischli and David Weiss
4 Hostessen (4 Stewardesses)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ♠
Sold for £277,250
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10
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £350,000 - 550,000 ‡♠
Sold for £337,250
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11
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Overrun
Estimate £1,000,000 - 1,500,000 ‡
Sold for £1,127,650
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12
Raqib Shaw
Absence of God III... And His Tears of Blood Will Drown the Cities of Men II
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡
Sold for £553,250
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13
Anselm Reyle
Harmony
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ♠
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14
Anselm Reyle
Untitled
Estimate £70,000 - 100,000 ♠
Sold for £79,250
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15
Subodh Gupta
No. 1
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 ‡
Sold for £121,250
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16
Donald Judd
Untitled (89-30)
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £169,250
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17
Ilya Kabakov and Emilia Kabakov
The Painting on an Easel
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ♠
Sold for £361,250
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18
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Ritratto sigg. Lerre (Portrait of Mr. Lerre)
Estimate £70,000 - 90,000 ♠
Sold for £67,250
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19
Martin Kippenberger
Mirror for Hang-Over Bud
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000
Sold for £145,250
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20
Robert Rauschenberg
Address Unknown
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
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21
Martin Kippenberger
Untitled
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
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22
Albert Oehlen
Untitled
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ♠
Sold for £193,250
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23
Karel Appel
Birds Over the Red Sea
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £205,250
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24
Victor Vasarely
Cassiopée II NB
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £157,250
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25
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Disco con Sfera
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ♠
Sold for £61,250
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26
Bill Viola
Basin of Tears
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 Ω
Sold for £181,250
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27
Marlene Dumas
Equality
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ♠
Sold for £121,250
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28
Dan Colen
Wouldn't it be Nice
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000 †
Sold for £85,250
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29
Martin Creed
Work no. 230 (Don’t Worry)
Estimate £30,000 - 40,000 ♠
Sold for £51,650
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale

17 Feb 2011 London

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Provenance

Exhibited

Literature

Catalogue Essay

26

Bill Viola

Basin of Tears

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

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17 Feb 2011
London