Fred Sandback - Contemporary Art Day Sale New York Friday, May 15, 2015 | Phillips

Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York Day Sale 15 May 2015 11am

  • Provenance

    Estate of Fred Sandback, New York
    Zwirner & Wirth, New York

  • Exhibited

    Cologne, Galerie Reckermann, Fred Sandback: Neue Arbeiten, December 15, 1972 - January 18, 1973

  • Catalogue Essay

    “One way to act is to define a boundary and to move toward the center implied by it. I’m doing the opposite, defining a center and moving outward toward the boundaries.” Fred Sandback, 1975

    A simple red elastic cord allows Fred Sandback to draw in space. Comparing a piece of sting to the line of number 2 pencil, he strives for the purest of forms, an innocent geometric shape. The present lot, Untitled, 1972 hinges out from the wall, drawing an open topped box; defining depth where there is none. Within the present lot, Sandback continues his quest to create “a strong, immediate, and beautiful situation.” (Fred Sandback, 1975) Untitled, 1972 expresses no uncertainty or hesitance, it stands with clarity, having eliminated the decorative materiality of sculpture, making space its medium. By rejecting the notion of mark making, Sandback has made the act of isolating space his final creation. The artist explains his wish to “get hold of things in the everyday way,” to approach the limitations of definite depth. For Sandback, “surfaces seem to imply that what’s interesting is either in front of them or behind them. Interiors are elusive. You can’t ever see an interior. Like eating an artichoke, you keep peeling away exteriors until there’s nothing left, looking for the essence of something.” Untitled, 1972 reveals that essence with resounding beauty and graceful specificity.

  • Artist Biography

    Fred Sandback

    American • 1943 - 2003

    There is more than meets the eye with the work of Fred Sandback. Employing a particularly unique material, acrylic yarn, the artist created architectural works by attaching yarn to surfaces and stretching it taut from floor to ceiling. The open space and surprising dimensions achieved by his pieces allow viewers to interact with them and complete them with their own imagination.

    By studying alongside such fellow Minimalists as Robert Morris and Donald Judd, Sandback developed the conceptual, uncluttered method for which he is known.

    View More Works

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE AMERICAN COLLECTION

Ο◆136

Fred Sandback

Untitled

1972
red elastic cord
92 x 132 x 6 in. (233.7 x 335.3 x 15.2 cm)
This work is unique and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity provided by the Estate, registered under Fred Sandback Estate Number 2078. This work is accompanied by installation instructions.

Estimate
$200,000 - 300,000 

Sold for $197,000

Contact Specialist
Kate Bryan
Head of Day Sale
New York
+ 1 212 940 1267

Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York Day Sale 15 May 2015 11am