Francesco Clemente - Contemporary Art London Thursday, June 21, 2007 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Provenance

    Sperone Westwater Fischer Inc., New York; Gagosian Gallery, London

  • Catalogue Essay

    Francesco Clemente’s Sun, painted from 1981-1982, bears its title no doubt to the vibrant palette he employs of red, orange and yellow. The abstraction of a portrait, likely self-referential, emblazons on the canvas and Clemente secures its prominence in our eye. His painterly techniques suggest a close inspection of the works of Willem de Kooning. In both methods, the artists have a mutual dynamism coupled with complex layering of imagery. Clemente’s broad portrait is slightly askew, a tendency the artist also relied on in other works from the early 1980’s. His style from the same period typically displays the strong distortion of form combined with linear structure and bold outline, suggesting a strong affinity to tribal arts and Picasso. Clemente succeeds in combining these varied artistic influences and techniques to an alluring effect on the viewer. The strong emotional component to his work comes across through his vivid expression and unique form of portraiture.

26

The Sun

1981 - 1982
Oil on canvas.
29 7/8 x 38 1/8 in. (75.9 x 96.8 cm).

Estimate
£100,000 - 150,000 

Sold for £96,000

Contemporary Art

22 June 2007, 4pm & 5pm
London