Vija Celmins - Evening & Day Editions London Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | Phillips

Create your first list.

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

  • Vija Celmins’ cosmic compositions have become a principal subject within her artistic oeuvre, showcasing a photorealistic style that meticulously replicates constellations. Her starscapes, based on telescopic photographs, form part of a larger repertoire of natural subjects, including oceans, spider webs, and lunar surfaces, which she has consistently explored since the late 1960s. Divided Sky and Reverse Galaxy present emotionally evocative examples of Celmin’s intricate galaxies, void of vibrant hues. Whilst Divided Sky imitates the monochromatic details of the dark sky and gleaming stars, Reverse Galaxy transforms the composition into negative, with a pale background and ink spot stars.  

    “Aside from art, nature is one of the most amazing and comforting things to me ... I think of it as a place of discovery.”
    —Vija Celmins 

    By displaying the stars in isolation, the composition negates any ties to the constraints of time and so conveys a recognition to the night sky’s endless existence.  With an enduring presence throughout human history, the sky has been admired and utilised by mankind to guide navigation, serve as the backdrop to myths, and been looked to in the hopes of predicting the future. Void of any sign of life and portraying expansive, endless space, the present lot underscores the vastness of nature, prompting a contemplation of human significance. In doing so, the compositions align themselves with the motivations of 18th-century Romantic artists like Caspar David Friedrich, who spotlighted nature's awe-inspiring landscapes and magnificence over humanity. 

     

    Caspar David Friedrich, The Monk by the Sea, 1808-1810, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Image: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie / Andres Kilger

    Celmins began exploring galaxies in 1973 and her depictions have evolved across prints, paintings, and drawings, each based upon images acquired in the 1970s from the California Institute of Technology library. For the cosmic depictions within the present lot, the artist makes use of the mezzotint engraving technique. This method facilitates subtle gradations between light and shade, bringing richness to the black tones and allowing the white to glow with luminosity. The result is the creation of two rich, intricate prints that capture the magnanimity and wonder of the never-ending cosmos.

81

Divided Night Sky; and Reverse Galaxy

2010
One mezzotint, and one etching with drypoint, on Magnani Pescia Satinato paper, with full margins.
both I. 30.1 x 21.1 cm (11 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
both S. 41.9 x 30 cm (16 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.)

Both signed and numbered 14/30 in pencil, published by Simmelink/Sukimoto Editions, Olympia, Washington, both framed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£8,000 - 12,000 

Sold for £10,160

Contact Specialist

Because of technical difficulties our sale is delayed. We should resume soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

EditionsLondon@Phillips.com
+44 20 7318 4024

Rebecca Tooby-Desmond
Specialist, Head of Sale, Editions
rtooby-desmond@phillips.com

Robert Kennan
Head of Editions, Europe
rkennan@phillips.com

Anne Schneider-Wilson
Senior International Specialist, Editions
aschneider-wilson@phillips.com

Louisa Earl
Associate Specialist, Editions
learl@phillips.com
 

Evening & Day Editions

London Auction 17 - 18 January 2024