Leo Castelli Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
New York, Leo Castelli Gallery, Dan Flavin 1960’s and 1970’s installations, October 20 – November 10, 1979 London, Mayor Gallery, A Tribute to Leo Castelli,April 16 – May 17, 1985
Literature
A Tribute to Leo Castelli, exh. cat., Mayor Gallery, London, 1985, p. 7 (illustrated) M. Govan and T. Bell, eds., Dan Flavin: The Complete Lights, 1961-1996, New York: Dia Art Foundation in association with Yale University Press, 2004, no. 264, p. 295 (illustrated)
Catalogue Essay
Light is “…a matter of fact…as plain and open and direct an art as you will ever find.” - Dan Flavin
Beginning his exploration of light and its transformative quality with the Icons series in the early 1960s, Flavin eschewed traditionally sublime meaning in his work, insisting upon the self-evident, purely visual nature of his installations. In an effort to further distance himself from such theoretical intrusions, in 1963 Flavin began to employ primarily industrial, commercially available fluorescent light tubes that would become his central media for the remainder of his career. Flavin’s utilization of this found source for his work echoes and irrevocably transforms Duchamp’s readymades. "I like art as thought better than art as work. I've always maintained this. …It's adeclaration: art is thought."
Dedicated to the son of legendary art dealer Leo Castelli, Dan Flavin’s Untitled(To Jean-Christophe)is a bold and luminous statement– one that transforms its environment,dissolving space and form in a warm glow. Flavin’s multicolored fluorescent tubes arranged vertically in succession produce an amplified spectrum of color in an exquisite interplay of pink, green, blue and red, the colliding light echoing that evoked in works such as color theorist Mark Rothko’s Blue,Orange, Red, 1961 (London, Saatchi Collection). To Jean-Christophe illuminates the ephemeral quality of light itself, both an exemplar of Flavin’s tenet of simplicity of form and a materialization of the atmospheric, experiential interaction of color and light.
Dan Flavin employed commercially-sold fluorescent light tubes in order to produce what he liked to call "situations" or installations. His minimalist approach transcended simplicity through his use of neon colors and thoughtful compositions. With straight-edged light beams, Flavin would often create dynamic arrangements reminiscent of Fred Sandback's work with yarn.
1970 pink, green, blue and red fluorescent light 48 x 8 3/4 x 4 in. (121.9 x 22.2 x 10.2 cm.) This work is number 1 from an edition of 5. This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and annotated "Dan Flavin 1/3" by the artist. Dan Flavin planned to execute this work in a series of 3, but later executed a total of 5 fabricated works.
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $317,000
Contact Specialist Zach Miner
Head of Evening Sale zminer@phillips.com +1 212 940 1256
