Jacob Kassay - Contemporary Art Evening Sale London Sunday, February 9, 2014 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Eleven Rivington, New York

  • Catalogue Essay

    “It often reminds me of the autofocus of a digital camera, which doesn’t know what to do with a silver painting’s surface when I’m trying to document the work. It goes in and out, unable to separate the painting’s present surroundings from the object itself.” JACOB KASSAY

    Jacob Kassay is a master of revival and reinvention, as he states "There's no reason that we can't go back to the past and rehash ideas that maybe you thought weren't complete." (Kassay to A. Walleston, ‘Jacob Kassay: History’s Mirror’, Art in America, 6 October 2011). In the present lot, Untitled (2009) Kassay’s unabashed dedication to a galvanized canvas remains apparent, presenting exquisite variations on a theme evocative of minimalist practices and monochromatic painting is paired with the industrialized sheen of the artist’s hand. The nature of the work’s medium accentuates the brushstrokes, providing just enough variation to see the artist’s presence. The piece achieves physicality beyond that of a painting, reminiscent of the works produced by Carl Andre and Donald Judd. Kassay’s Untitled breathes in the presence of its audience by refusing to hanging passively on the wall. The metallic mantel anticipates the reflection of its surroundings, yet upon approach, reality is blurred by its matte finish. Kassay states, “With the paintings, this blurring reminds you that there are other things that are informing the work which are atmospheric. The surface of the work moves into attention and recedes from it, always oscillating.” (Kassay in Alex Bacon, 'In Conversation: Jacob Kassay with Alex Bacon', The Brooklyn Rail, 18 December 2013)

27

Untitled

2009
acrylic and silver deposit on canvas
121.9 x 91.4 cm. (47 7/8 x 35 7/8 in.)
Signed and dated 'Kassay 09' on the reverse.

Estimate
£70,000 - 100,000 

Sold for £86,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London
psumner@phillips.com
+44 207 318 4063

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London Evening Sale 10 February 2014 7pm