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BRICE MARDEN (1938-2023) Flesh (Back Series) 1967-68 inscribed and dated 1967-68 in another hand on the reverse oil and beeswax on canvas 68 7/8 by 45 in. 175 by 114.3 cm. This work will be included in the forthcoming Brice Marden catalogue raisonné. Footnotes: Provenance The artist Ralph Humphrey, New York Bykert Gallery, New York Peder Bonnier Ltd, New York Andy Warhol, New York Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Andy Warhol Collection, 2-3 May 1988, lot 3369 Private Collection, Antwerp Exhibited New York, Bykert Gallery, Brice Marden: Back Series, 6-31 January 1968 New York, Vivian Horan Fine Art, Minimalism: On and Off Paper, 28 September-17 November 2006 Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art, December 2006-circa October 2014, on extended loan Literature Encrevé, Lucile, and Laurence Cars, Correspondances Musée d'Orsay Art Contemporain no. 7: Brice Marden/Gustave Courbet, Paris: Musée d'Orsay and Argol Éditions, 2006, p.30 Eileen Costello, Brice Marden, London, New York: Phaidon Press, 2013, p. 56 Mark Stone, 'Brice Marden The Seventies', Henri, 29 May 2020 The present lot is an unequivocally unique work in which the viewer's experience transcends any written articulation of its beauty. Painted by Brice Marden in 1967, Flesh is one of only seven works that make up the rare Back Series completed by the artist in 1967-68 and has an extraordinary history of ownership, including the personal collection of Andy Warhol. The seven works that make up this series are deeply personal and embody Marden's visionary approach to abstract painting. It is no coincidence that each painting in this series is the same height, 69 inches, as the artist's wife and fellow painter, Helen Marden, who remained a steadfast influence on her husband for the entirety of his career. With a gentle, yet assertive hand, Marden rendered surfaces of amazing complexity. Though each brush stroke was deeply considered, Marden's monochrome paintings are vast landscapes of a particular hue that feels spiritual and instinctive. This is abundantly clear in Flesh in which the unique color emanates from the canvas transforming a combination of inanimate materials (Marden's hallmark use of beeswax and oil paint) into a transcendent and intimate portrait. Flesh was a foundational work in the seminal exhibition at the Bykert Gallery in 1968, which displayed each piece from the Back Series and whose announcement card detailed a photo of Helen Marden's back. Flesh underscores, in its intangible effect and poignant title, the throughline of this exhibition in which each painting is, either directly or indirectly, an intimate portrayal of an individual such as For Otis (after Otis Redding) and Nico (after the German singer, actress, and Warhol muse). Said to be painted during a period of distance between the artist and Helen Marden, the Back Series is directly connected to the symbol of one's literal back in which 'the idea of rejections – expressed at a primitive and direct level by the turning of one person's back on another – is integral to these paintings' (Linda Shearer, Brice Marden, Brice Marden's Paintings, Exh. Cat., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, p. 17). It is no coincidence that Marden often worked in a life-size, human, scale in which the abstract becomes corporeal to result in a viewing experience that is not about observing from the outside in but rather the inside out. It is this framework that emphasizes Marden as a painter whose process and artistic undertakings speak to the traditions of painting rather than Minimalism or Post-Minimalism (a movement in which his early works are frequently categorized). As Marden once said, upon seeing Edouard Manet's Street Singer, he 'saw the warm umber and the color fell into place it became a total color sensation. Each part built towards this total which came slowly, as if being mysteriously revealed. I try for this in my work' (quoted in Brice Marden, Brice Marden's Paintings, Exh. Cat., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, p. 12). Marden was a serious student of Art History. As a guard at the Jewish Museum in the early sixties, Marden meditated upon Jasper Johns' 1964 survey exhibition in which he drew inspiration not from Johns' use of language and objects, but rather from his astute painterly character. As Roberta Smith writes, Marden 'turned to the history of painting for inspiration, opening up new possibilities for abstraction and beyond [...] He talked, like a traditional painter, of the importance of light and nature and reverentially considered the rectangle one of the great human inventions.' ('Brice Marden: A Legacy Beyond the Monochromes', New York Times, 14 August 2023) So, it is no surprise that a work like Street Singer would resonate in Marden's practice as a significant influence. Flesh is a resolute and sublime painting that speaks to the fundamental tenets of Marden's practice that endured for the entirety of the artist's career. In a 2009 interview, Gordon Locksley said 'Brice Marden changed, for the rest of my life, the way I look at paintings' (quoted in With You I Want to Live: The Collection of Gordon Locksley and George T. Shea, exh. cat. Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 2009-10, n.p.). Tastemakers Gordon Locksley and George Shea saw the artistic genius of Marden long before the Art World recognized his brilliance. And now, Marden is celebrated as one of the most important groundbreaking artists of his generation who energized the medium of painting for generations to come. Marden received his MFA from Yale University's School of Art and Architecture in 1963 and shortly after secured his first solo exhibition at the legendary Bykert Galley in 1966, while working as Robert Rauschenberg's studio assistant. He has been the subject of numerous significant retrospectives at institutions such as the Hamburger Bohnhoff Museum for Contemporary Art, Berlin; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Marden's work can be found in countless permanent collections such as the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris amongst others. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
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28% on the first $50,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $50,000 up to and including $1,000,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $1,000,000 up to and including $6,000,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of $6,000,000.
A 3rd-party bidding platform fee (the "3rd-party bidding platform fee") equal to 4% of THE BID PRICE shall be payable by buyers whose successful bid is submitted via 3rd-party bidding platforms, including Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
Payment for purchases may be made in or by (a) cash, (b) cashier's check or money order, (c) personal check with approved credit drawn on a U.S. bank, (d) wire transfer or other immediate bank transfer, or (e) Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit, charge or debit card for returning clients only. Please note that the amount of cash notes and cash equivalents that can be accepted from a given purchaser may be limited.
If you have requested a shipping quote, we will send this to you via email within 5 business days of the auction ending.
Please note our shipping quotes are bespoke and require special care and handling from our team and shippers. Shipping will be booked after payment is received. Please allow 7-14 business days from the time of booking for packing and dispatch, depending on your chosen shipping method. If your purchase is time sensitive, or you wish to explore other options, please see our list of alternative third party shippers in New York and Los Angeles who may be able to assist you.
Oversized Lots
Please note that all lots marked with a W in the catalog are oversized and subject to additional storage and shipping methods. All additional lots purchased with W lots are considered group lots and will be subject to the same terms as W lots.
W Lots will be transferred to offsite storage at DTD Fine Art Services at the buyer's risk and expense within five (5) business days following the auction. Please contact the Client Services team at bids.us@bonhams.com for the exact movement date.
The per-lot charges levied by DTD Fine Art Services are as follows (plus any applicable sales tax):
FURNITURE/LARGE OBJECTS
Transfer .................. $75
Daily storage........... $10
Insurance (on Hammer + Premium + tax) 0.3%
SMALL OBJECTS
Transfer ................. $37.50
Daily storage........... $5
Insurance (on Hammer + Premium + tax) 0.3%
Please note property is also subject to a Cross Dock Release Fee ($25 for Smalls and $45 for Furniture and Large Objects) & if charges are paid with a credit card, Door to Door Fine Art Services will charge a 3% Convenience Fee.
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BRICE MARDEN (1938-2023) Flesh (Back Series) 1967-68 inscribed and dated 1967-68 in another hand on the reverse oil and beeswax on canvas 68 7/8 by 45 in. 175 by 114.3 cm. This work will be included in the forthcoming Brice Marden catalogue raisonné. Footnotes: Provenance The artist Ralph Humphrey, New York Bykert Gallery, New York Peder Bonnier Ltd, New York Andy Warhol, New York Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Andy Warhol Collection, 2-3 May 1988, lot 3369 Private Collection, Antwerp Exhibited New York, Bykert Gallery, Brice Marden: Back Series, 6-31 January 1968 New York, Vivian Horan Fine Art, Minimalism: On and Off Paper, 28 September-17 November 2006 Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Art, December 2006-circa October 2014, on extended loan Literature Encrevé, Lucile, and Laurence Cars, Correspondances Musée d'Orsay Art Contemporain no. 7: Brice Marden/Gustave Courbet, Paris: Musée d'Orsay and Argol Éditions, 2006, p.30 Eileen Costello, Brice Marden, London, New York: Phaidon Press, 2013, p. 56 Mark Stone, 'Brice Marden The Seventies', Henri, 29 May 2020 The present lot is an unequivocally unique work in which the viewer's experience transcends any written articulation of its beauty. Painted by Brice Marden in 1967, Flesh is one of only seven works that make up the rare Back Series completed by the artist in 1967-68 and has an extraordinary history of ownership, including the personal collection of Andy Warhol. The seven works that make up this series are deeply personal and embody Marden's visionary approach to abstract painting. It is no coincidence that each painting in this series is the same height, 69 inches, as the artist's wife and fellow painter, Helen Marden, who remained a steadfast influence on her husband for the entirety of his career. With a gentle, yet assertive hand, Marden rendered surfaces of amazing complexity. Though each brush stroke was deeply considered, Marden's monochrome paintings are vast landscapes of a particular hue that feels spiritual and instinctive. This is abundantly clear in Flesh in which the unique color emanates from the canvas transforming a combination of inanimate materials (Marden's hallmark use of beeswax and oil paint) into a transcendent and intimate portrait. Flesh was a foundational work in the seminal exhibition at the Bykert Gallery in 1968, which displayed each piece from the Back Series and whose announcement card detailed a photo of Helen Marden's back. Flesh underscores, in its intangible effect and poignant title, the throughline of this exhibition in which each painting is, either directly or indirectly, an intimate portrayal of an individual such as For Otis (after Otis Redding) and Nico (after the German singer, actress, and Warhol muse). Said to be painted during a period of distance between the artist and Helen Marden, the Back Series is directly connected to the symbol of one's literal back in which 'the idea of rejections – expressed at a primitive and direct level by the turning of one person's back on another – is integral to these paintings' (Linda Shearer, Brice Marden, Brice Marden's Paintings, Exh. Cat., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, p. 17). It is no coincidence that Marden often worked in a life-size, human, scale in which the abstract becomes corporeal to result in a viewing experience that is not about observing from the outside in but rather the inside out. It is this framework that emphasizes Marden as a painter whose process and artistic undertakings speak to the traditions of painting rather than Minimalism or Post-Minimalism (a movement in which his early works are frequently categorized). As Marden once said, upon seeing Edouard Manet's Street Singer, he 'saw the warm umber and the color fell into place it became a total color sensation. Each part built towards this total which came slowly, as if being mysteriously revealed. I try for this in my work' (quoted in Brice Marden, Brice Marden's Paintings, Exh. Cat., The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, p. 12). Marden was a serious student of Art History. As a guard at the Jewish Museum in the early sixties, Marden meditated upon Jasper Johns' 1964 survey exhibition in which he drew inspiration not from Johns' use of language and objects, but rather from his astute painterly character. As Roberta Smith writes, Marden 'turned to the history of painting for inspiration, opening up new possibilities for abstraction and beyond [...] He talked, like a traditional painter, of the importance of light and nature and reverentially considered the rectangle one of the great human inventions.' ('Brice Marden: A Legacy Beyond the Monochromes', New York Times, 14 August 2023) So, it is no surprise that a work like Street Singer would resonate in Marden's practice as a significant influence. Flesh is a resolute and sublime painting that speaks to the fundamental tenets of Marden's practice that endured for the entirety of the artist's career. In a 2009 interview, Gordon Locksley said 'Brice Marden changed, for the rest of my life, the way I look at paintings' (quoted in With You I Want to Live: The Collection of Gordon Locksley and George T. Shea, exh. cat. Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 2009-10, n.p.). Tastemakers Gordon Locksley and George Shea saw the artistic genius of Marden long before the Art World recognized his brilliance. And now, Marden is celebrated as one of the most important groundbreaking artists of his generation who energized the medium of painting for generations to come. Marden received his MFA from Yale University's School of Art and Architecture in 1963 and shortly after secured his first solo exhibition at the legendary Bykert Galley in 1966, while working as Robert Rauschenberg's studio assistant. He has been the subject of numerous significant retrospectives at institutions such as the Hamburger Bohnhoff Museum for Contemporary Art, Berlin; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Marden's work can be found in countless permanent collections such as the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris amongst others. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
For all Sales categories excluding Arms & Armour, Coins and Medals, Motor Cars, Motorcycles, Wine & Whisky
28% on the first $50,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $50,000 up to and including $1,000,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of $1,000,000 up to and including $6,000,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of $6,000,000.
A 3rd-party bidding platform fee (the "3rd-party bidding platform fee") equal to 4% of THE BID PRICE shall be payable by buyers whose successful bid is submitted via 3rd-party bidding platforms, including Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
Payment for purchases may be made in or by (a) cash, (b) cashier's check or money order, (c) personal check with approved credit drawn on a U.S. bank, (d) wire transfer or other immediate bank transfer, or (e) Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit, charge or debit card for returning clients only. Please note that the amount of cash notes and cash equivalents that can be accepted from a given purchaser may be limited.
If you have requested a shipping quote, we will send this to you via email within 5 business days of the auction ending.
Please note our shipping quotes are bespoke and require special care and handling from our team and shippers. Shipping will be booked after payment is received. Please allow 7-14 business days from the time of booking for packing and dispatch, depending on your chosen shipping method. If your purchase is time sensitive, or you wish to explore other options, please see our list of alternative third party shippers in New York and Los Angeles who may be able to assist you.
Oversized Lots
Please note that all lots marked with a W in the catalog are oversized and subject to additional storage and shipping methods. All additional lots purchased with W lots are considered group lots and will be subject to the same terms as W lots.
W Lots will be transferred to offsite storage at DTD Fine Art Services at the buyer's risk and expense within five (5) business days following the auction. Please contact the Client Services team at bids.us@bonhams.com for the exact movement date.
The per-lot charges levied by DTD Fine Art Services are as follows (plus any applicable sales tax):
FURNITURE/LARGE OBJECTS
Transfer .................. $75
Daily storage........... $10
Insurance (on Hammer + Premium + tax) 0.3%
SMALL OBJECTS
Transfer ................. $37.50
Daily storage........... $5
Insurance (on Hammer + Premium + tax) 0.3%
Please note property is also subject to a Cross Dock Release Fee ($25 for Smalls and $45 for Furniture and Large Objects) & if charges are paid with a credit card, Door to Door Fine Art Services will charge a 3% Convenience Fee.
If you have any questions, please contact our Client Services team.
Katalog
Stichworte: Andy Warhol, Gustave Courbet, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Edouard Manet, 19th-21st Century Art, Landscape Painting, Abstract Painting, Portrait Painting, Contemporary Art, Landscape, Öl Gemälde, Abstract, Portrait, Modern & Impressionist Art