AUCTION - 2022.10.12
[Highlight] Richard SERRA | T.W.U. #14 | OCTOBER 2022 Modern and Contemporary Art
Highlight from the "54th SBI Art Auction｜Modern and Contemporary Art" sales on Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, 2022.
"The weight of a drawing derives not only from the number of layers of paintstick but mainly from the particular shape of the drawing"
（Richard Serra: Drawings, Zeichnungen 1969-1990, Benteli Verlag, 1991）
Richard Serra is widely known for large-scaled metal sculptures, yet his drawings play a major role in his career and also receive high recognition with its originality, that officially acknowledged when the first retrospective exhibition of drawings was held at the three distinguished American museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Menil Collection, Houston.
For Serra, drawing is not an étude of his sculptural works, but an autonomous work of art for exploring the possibility of viewing experience on the two-dimensional supporting medium, which significantly differs from the general meaning of its term equivalent to sketch or line drawing. The drawing "T.W.U. #14" executed in 1981 shown here is a fine example of his artistic transformation from the three-dimensional sculpture to the two-dimensional drawing. In 1980 Serra installed a vertical sculpture consisting 36 feet high of three vertical metal plates at the entrance of subway station in Tribeca, New York City. This monumental work was named in honor of the Transport Workers Union (T.W.U) devoted to this project, becoming one of the monumental works by Serra in a dialogue of "Site Specificity" that the physical location and surroundings of artwork are inseparable from its identity.
A year after, Serra attempts to recreate the intense physicality of T.W.U. on paper. The three rectangular shapes represent as a deep black thick paintstick motif over the work with rough but confident strokes. The line on the left side is drawn diagonally toward to the bottom, where left margin to help visualizing the weight. The contrast between the substantial quality of the waxy paintstick and the ephemerality of the supporting medium creates dynamism and its kinetic spatiality, and reveals the physical qualities of the drawings' material.
Lot.275 Richard SERRA
1981
T.W.U. #14
Paintstick on paper
127.0 × 96.5 cm (50 × 38 in.)
Provenance:
Blum Helman Gallery, New York
KOH Gallery, Tokyo
Private collection, Japan
Literature:
"Richard Serra : Drawings, Zeichnungen 1969-1990" Benteli Verlag, 1991, P. 232, No. 189
"Thomas Lawson : Exhibition review, Artforum Vol. 19, April 1981", P. 68 (illustrated)
JPY 6,000,000 - 9,000,000
USD 42,900 - 64,300
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Bid Submission Deadline:
[Lots. 001-148] THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 5:00 PM (JST)
[Lots. 149-309] FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 5:00 PM (JST)
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"The weight of a drawing derives not only from the number of layers of paintstick but mainly from the particular shape of the drawing"
（Richard Serra: Drawings, Zeichnungen 1969-1990, Benteli Verlag, 1991）
Richard Serra is widely known for large-scaled metal sculptures, yet his drawings play a major role in his career and also receive high recognition with its originality, that officially acknowledged when the first retrospective exhibition of drawings was held at the three distinguished American museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Menil Collection, Houston.
For Serra, drawing is not an étude of his sculptural works, but an autonomous work of art for exploring the possibility of viewing experience on the two-dimensional supporting medium, which significantly differs from the general meaning of its term equivalent to sketch or line drawing. The drawing "T.W.U. #14" executed in 1981 shown here is a fine example of his artistic transformation from the three-dimensional sculpture to the two-dimensional drawing. In 1980 Serra installed a vertical sculpture consisting 36 feet high of three vertical metal plates at the entrance of subway station in Tribeca, New York City. This monumental work was named in honor of the Transport Workers Union (T.W.U) devoted to this project, becoming one of the monumental works by Serra in a dialogue of "Site Specificity" that the physical location and surroundings of artwork are inseparable from its identity.
A year after, Serra attempts to recreate the intense physicality of T.W.U. on paper. The three rectangular shapes represent as a deep black thick paintstick motif over the work with rough but confident strokes. The line on the left side is drawn diagonally toward to the bottom, where left margin to help visualizing the weight. The contrast between the substantial quality of the waxy paintstick and the ephemerality of the supporting medium creates dynamism and its kinetic spatiality, and reveals the physical qualities of the drawings' material.
Lot.275 Richard SERRA
1981
T.W.U. #14
Paintstick on paper
127.0 × 96.5 cm (50 × 38 in.)
Provenance:
Blum Helman Gallery, New York
KOH Gallery, Tokyo
Private collection, Japan
Literature:
"Richard Serra : Drawings, Zeichnungen 1969-1990" Benteli Verlag, 1991, P. 232, No. 189
"Thomas Lawson : Exhibition review, Artforum Vol. 19, April 1981", P. 68 (illustrated)
JPY 6,000,000 - 9,000,000
USD 42,900 - 64,300
Browse details & Place Bids
【Create an account】
Please sign up from the link below if you do not have an account to register as a bidder.
>> Create an account
【Participate in the bidding】
There are four bidding methods from which to choose.
A. In Parson
B. Absentee
C. By Telephone
D. To Bid Live
>> How to Buy
To bid by phone, online, or as absentee, you can register from our website.
*An account will be needed for bidding registration (If you are a registered customer and do not have a login account, or if you cannot log in with your account, please follow the procedure)
>> Register for bidding
*Please make sure to check the condition of works before bidding.
>> Create an account
Bid Submission Deadline:
[Lots. 001-148] THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 5:00 PM (JST)
[Lots. 149-309] FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 5:00 PM (JST)
*For those who have not received an email from us
It's possible that SBI Art Auction's confirmation e-mail has been labeled as a spam mail. You might be able to find confirmation e-mail from us in your spam mail folder.
As a friendly reminder, you may consider adjusting the filtering setting of your e-mail account to prevent any mails with sbigroup.co.jp／sbiartauction.co.jp domain from going to your spam mail folder in the future.
