Untitled, 1975-1987
Acrylic on plywood comprised of two panels. Yellow section: 48 3/4 x 47 1/4 in. (123.8 x 120 cm) Red section: 49 5/8 x 44 1/2 in. (126 x 113 cm) Signed and dated "Imi, 75-87" on the reverse.

PROVENANCE Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo Private collection, Japan





"In his best large works, the artist is able to orchestrate a wide range of possibilities—from tonal shifts to sharp contrasts, and from monochrome to cacophonous groupings—into a single, complex piece. Moving before the work, with its cutaway notches, sets off a shifting of the layers and alignments, revealing more or less of what is beneath, which also changes the color relationship… For Knoebel, color is physical and radiant, solid and slippery, in-your face and barely noticed. Movement and change are an integral part of the viewer's experience. Without the slightest bit of cynicism or parody, the artist has expanded upon the legacy of Mondrian and Malevich by adding something that is distinctly his own. In his thorough courting of chaos and order, without settling for either solution, Knoebel achieves a state of exuberance that strains to break free of the material support." J. Yau, "Imi Knoebel", The Brooklyn Rail, March 2009