Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), "Sun-Set," 1981, Black polyester resin multiple, 12.5" H x 18" W x 2.5" D

About Auction

Live

Art + Design

By John Moran Auctioneers

Aug 29, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-08-29 15:00:00 2023-08-29 15:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Art + Design https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/john-moran/art-design-13449
Los Angeles auction house selling Fine and Decorative Art including Prints and Multiples, Paintings, Works on Paper, Photography, Sculpture, Contemporary Art, Mid-Century Modern, Studio Pottery, Post Modern, Studio Furniture, 20th Century Design, Art Glass, and more. John Moran Auctioneers info@johnmoran.com

View Full Catalog (270)

• Lot Description

  Louise Nevelson
  (1899-1988)
  "Sun-Set," 1981
  Black polyester resin
  Edition: 38/125 (there were also 25 artist's proofs)
  With the incised signature and numbering on the title/publisher plaque affixed verso: Louise Nevelson; Pace Editions, Inc., New York, NY, pub.
  12.5" H x 18" W x 2.5" D
  Notes: Louise Nevelson was a prominent American sculptor, known for her various abstract cubist forms, large installations assemblages made from found and discarded objects with most of it being wood, through a poetic and personal lens.
  
  Born in Pereyaslav, Russia, a Poltava Governorate province in Imperial Russia (now Kyiv, Ukraine) in 1899, to an Orthodox Jewish family. Nevelson and her family emigrated to Rockland, Maine in 1905. Nevelson had a blossoming passion for her high school art classes and a dream to study art in New York City. The early half of the 20th century would be a foundational key to her future success. From 1928 to 1930 she studied at the Art Students League, New York, NY. Studying under Hans Hofmann at the School for Modern Art, Munich, Germany, in 1931, assisting Diego Rivera in 1933 with paintings for the New Workers School and learning about pre-Columbian art, and having her first solo exhibition in 1941 at the Nierendorf Gallery. However, in the 1950s her commercial success arose, with the sole use of color used on her large wood assemblages from found objects. After the 1950s, she flourished in the art world for decades, evoking imagery of visual unity with contrasting elements.
  
  In 1981, "Sun-Set" was created during the latter half of her career, as she continued using found and discarded wood, she also started implementing varied materials like plastic/Plexiglas, Cor-Ten steel, and aluminum. However, she remained consistent with the monochromatic color scheme of her assemblages, especially black. Nevelson even goes on to say, "When I fell in love with black, it contained all colors. It was not a negation of color. It was an acceptance. Because black encompasses all colors. Black is the most aristocratic color of all. You can be quiet, and it contains the whole thing." "Sun-Set," captures her intricate use of blending "incompatible" found objects into a creative masterpiece of harmony by capturing "their imperfections to help create a relationship among the parts." (MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)).
  
  Louise Nevelson died on April 17, 1988, in New York. She was ahead of her time and represented the idea of female independence and breaking away from the confinements of life, through her artistic expression and passion. Don Bacigalupi, the former director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, flawlessly articulated the impact of Nevelson by saying, "In Nevelson's case, she was the most ferocious artist there was. She was the most determined, the most forceful, the most difficult. She just forced her way in. And so that was one way to do it, but not all women chose to, or could take, that route."
  
  Louise Nevelson's work has been exhibited alongside many key members of the Abstract Expressionist movement, including (but not limited to):
  
  Alice Baber, William Baziotes, Norman Bluhm, Louise Bourgeoise, Friedel Dzubas, Perle Fine, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Dorothy Gillespie, Sam Gilliam, Michael Goldberg, Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Hans Hofmann, Paul Jenkins, Ray Johnson, Franz Kline, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Morris Louis, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Robert Natkin, Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Charlotte Park, Ray Parker, Betty Parsons, Jackson Pollock, Richard Pousette-Dart, Ad Reinhardt, Milton Resnick, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Jack Tworkov
  
  Select Museum Collections:
  Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY
  Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
  Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
  Tate Modern, London, England
  Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY

  Condition

  Overall good condition with light dust accumulation commensurate with age.
  
  Frame: 19" H x 24.5" W x 2.875" D

  Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.

• Shipping Info

  • Shipping. As a courtesy to buyers, Moran provides a list of preferred shippers who are in the business of transporting antiques and works of art. Buyers are responsible for arranging their own shipping estimates and deliveries. Moran, in its sole discretion and as a courtesy to buyers, may arrange to have purchased lots packed, insured, and forwarded by a third-party shipper at the request, expense, and risk of the buyer. In circumstances where Moran arranges for such third-party services, Moran may apply an administration charge of 15% of that service fee. Moran assumes no responsibility for acts or omissions in such packing or shipping by other packers or carriers, even if recommended by Moran. Moran also assumes no responsibility for any damage to picture frames or to the glass therein. Buyers are strongly encouraged to collect purchased items from the sale site at the time of the auction. Packing material and labor are provided free of charge at the sale site during the auction. Packing and handling of purchased lots is undertaken by Moran solely as a convenience to customers. If a buyer opts to use this courtesy packing and handling service, Moran is not liable for damage to property, regardless of cause. Following the auction, uncollected lots shall be relocated to and stored in Moran's warehouse. Moran shall retain possession of all purchases until full payment has been received from the buyer. Lots remaining uncollected after the fifth business day following the sale, regardless of payment status, are subject to a per-lot daily storage charge of $10.00. In addition to other remedies available by law, Moran reserves the right to impose upon delinquent buyers a separate 1% monthly charge (of the purchase price, or the maximum permitted by law) commencing on the sixth business day after the sale date. If a buyer fails to retrieve a purchased lot within thirty (30) days after the date of sale (the "Retrieval Period"), Moran may, without further notice, (a) continue to store the lot in Moran's warehouse, or at the warehouse of a third-party, subject to the storage charge described above; (b) deliver the lot to the buyer at the buyer's expense; or (c) sell the lot at auction without reserve at a place and time determined by Moran in its sole discretion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Moran has no duty to store any lot indefinitely. Any purchased lot that remains in Moran's possession sixty (60) days after the Retrieval Period (collectively, ninety (90) days) will be deemed abandoned ("Abandoned Property") and title to it will pass to Moran. Moran may, in its sole discretion, discard or sell any Abandoned Property and may keep any proceeds from any such sale. Moran may not be held liable for any claims related to Abandoned Property. Moran is not responsible for damage or loss that occurs to Abandoned Property and Moran is not responsible for insuring Abandoned Property after the Retrieval Period.

• Buyer's Premium

  • Hammer Price	Premium (%)
    $0	30.00
    $1,000,001	25.00
    $5,000,001	20.00