LOT DETAILS｜SBI Art Auction

6 - 7 July 2024 Modern and Contemporary Art

LOT 033

SEKINE Nobuo

Phase of Nothingness - Cut Stone -

Detail

1970
Natural stone and stainless steel, 3 works
Incised signature, date and [1]8/9 [2]5/9 [3]1/9 on the side of each work
[1] 28.0 × 26.0 × 22.0 cm (11 × 10¼ × 8⅝ in.) [2] 29.0 × 15.0 × 20.5 cm (11⅜ × 5⅞ × 8⅛ in.) [3] 14.0 × 38.5 × 17.5 cm (5½ × 15⅛ × 6⅞ in.)
Certificate of Registration by Japan Art Dealers' Association (each)

Estimate

¥4,000,000 - 7,000,000

$25,500 - 44,600

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Provenance: Galleria La Bertesca, Genoa, Italy／Genoa Gallery Modulo, Milan, Italy／Private Collection, UK

Literature: "Nobuo Sekine: 1968-78" Julia Pempel Atelier, Tokyo, 1978, No. 66／"Matter and Perception 1970 Mono-ha and the Search for fundamentals" The Yomiuri Shimbun, 1955, No. 70 - 11

Condition: Each is generally in good condition. Each has minor soiling on the sides, dullness on the stainless steel due to aging, rust, thin scratches and soiling. There are some anti-slip tapes on the bottom of each work. These three pieces are part of a set of nine artworks.

Nobuo Sekine, a pivotal figure in the "Mono-ha" (School of Things), studied under Yoshishige Saito at Tama Art University. This movement emerged as a significant trend in Japanese art from the late 1960s through the 1970s, marking a benchmark in the postwar era.
Sekine ’s Phase̶Mother Earth , presented in 1968, symbolized the inception of "Mono-ha" and has been hailed as a monumental work.
This work, Phase of Nothingness - Cut Stone , was created in 1970, the same year that Sekine gained his international acclaim with his sculpture Phase of Nothingness at the Venice Biennale.
This sculpture featured approximately 15 tons of natural stone perched atop a mirrored stainless-steel column.
The stone, embodying the concept of weight, merges with the landscape via the reflective surface of the stainless steel, challenging the viewer to reconsider the object's perceived characteristics.
Through this work, Sekine delves into the essence of "existence"̶probing beyond "mere appearances" and "inherent qualities"̶by fostering interactions between objects of differing characteristics.