Lithograph in colors on wove paper
Germany, 1978
Otto Piene (1928-2014) – German artist and co-founder of the artist group ZERO
Signed and dated lower left in pencil ‘Piene 78’
Dedicated lower left in pencil ‘für Josef Kovacs’
Annotated in the stone on the right ‘© The Smithonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20560 (Resident Associate Program) 1978’
Image dimensions: 85.7 x 64.7 cm
Very good condition
Otto Piene is one of the great artists of the avant-garde of the 1960s. Light, air and fire are the design elements of his art; lithographs by the artist fetch up to €2,200 at international auctions
Object is regular taxed. 19% VAT is added to the purchase price for deliveries within the EU.

The lithograph ‘Centerbeam’ was commissioned by the Smithonian Associates Art Collectors Program in 1978 on the occasion of a festival of kinetic sculpture performances in the sky. It depicts the light sculpture of the same name with which Piene took part in the festival. The lithograph was published in three different versions: With text in an edition of 250 copies, without text in an edition of 100 copies and in miniature form.

The lithograph in colors is signed and dated lower left in pencil ‘Piene 78’ and dedicated lower left in pencil ‘für Josef Kovacs’. It is annotated in the stone on the right ‘© The Smithonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20560 (Resident Associate Program) 1978’. The sheet is in very good condition with a small unobtrusive pressure mark lower right. The sheet-sized image measures 85.7 x 64.7 cm.



Otto Piene (b. 1928)

Otto Piene first studied painting and art education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and later in Düsseldorf and Cologne. From 1955 onwards his works were shown in group exhibitions – multiple times at the documenta in Kassel – and a few years later in solo exhibitions. In 1957, Piene, together with Heinz Mack, founded the ZERO group and started publishing the eponymous magazine. In his paintings he dealt with the concepts of light, movement and space, producing so-called smoke and fire paintings as a reference to the elementary energies of nature. Already in 1967, a first retrospective of Piene’s works took place in Dortmund. American and European awards followed. From 1972 onwards he has been a professor of Environmental Art at MIT. Otto Piene now lives and works in Düsseldorf and Massachusetts. His work can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York. In 2014, Piene’s creative legacy is honored with an exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin whilst a major travelling exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Gropius-Bau in Berlin and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam presents a survey of ZERO-Art. (fea)

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.

Auctionata charges the resale rights tax pursuant to Section 26 of the German Copyright Act (UrhG) towards the buyer in case of the sale of an original work of art or photography prior to 70 years having lapsed since the death of their creator. Therefore, Auctionata charges when purchasing a good – if a protection as an original work of art or photography is given – starting from a hammer price of EUR 400 an additional amount, which is calculated according to Section 26 (2) German Copyright Act (UrhG) and which does not exceed the amount of EUR 12,500. You can find more information about resale rights tax in Auctionata´s table of fees and T&C.