Lot 29 email save

ALBERT OEHLEN, Untitled, 1989

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Untitled, 1989
Oil, metallic paint and varnish on canvas. 95 x 79 in. (241.3 x 200.7 cm). Signed and dated "A. Oehlen 89" on the reverse.

PROVENANCE Patrick Painter Inc., Santa Monica
Untitled, 1989, an early abstract work of German painter Albert Oehlen, is a classic example of what the artist describes as his "post non- representational" style. The present lot, characterized by muted, swirling swashes of color occupies an enigmatic space between representation and abstraction. Shapes converge into almost recognizable subjects, suggesting purposeful invention only to dissolve back into the fluid, broad space of the canvas. Oehlen, a master of painterly deception, explores and critiques the accepted canons of abstraction though a deliberate appropriation of traditionally abstract form and expression. However, the artist chooses to reject artistic tradition and instead aims to reconstitute a contemporary meaning for art as an independently articulate form. The result is a teasing glimpse into Oehlen's confrontation with painterly tradition while simultaneously fracturing the exploration of visual language.

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