559 - GRAUBNER, GOTTHARD

GRAUBNER, GOTTHARD 1930 Erlbach–2013 Neuss Title: Untitled (Sagging Pillow). Date: 1969. Technique: Mixed media on Perlon over synthetic cotton on canvas. Dimensions: 104 x 85 x 18 cm. Notation: Signed and dated on the reverse, lower right: Gotth. Graubner 1969. Next to this is a directional arrow. The work was restored in 2026 following consultation with the Gotthard Graubner Archive. Provenance: - Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia - Graubner’s “color space sculptures” are unparalleled in the history of art and have become a unique artistic hallmark - In private ownership for decades - The work exemplifies the artist’s enthusiasm for experimenting with forms, colors, and spatial effects Since the 1960s, the artist Gotthard Graubner has been exploring the autonomy of color and its effect in space—particularly in his large-scale “color blocks,” “cushion pictures,” and “color space objects,” which he began creating in 1971. They constitute a distinct genre in their own right, one that enables the effects he seeks to achieve. His “color space bodies” are three-dimensional wall objects. They consist of an internal framework—a stretcher frame covered with canvas. Layers of synthetic wadding are placed over this, allowing the work to “grow” into the space. This layer can be up to 20 cm thick. A second layer of canvas is stretched over it without forming any creases, thus creating a compact, cushion-like form with softly rounded edges and corners. This “blank” is then given its painterly treatment. Graubner applies the thin, fluid paints in layers. The forms are soaked, brushed, splashed, and rubbed with long-handled brushes. The seemingly monochrome impression of the works is deceptive, however. Countless shades and nuances lie one upon the other, lending the work additional three-dimensionality. Whether in large or small formats, the color-space forms always exude a fascinating spatial presence while simultaneously radiating an incredible sense of tranquility. Graubner himself described them as “architectural forms” capable of influencing and altering the space around them. This work, “Gesacktes Kissen,” exemplifies Graubner’s enthusiasm for experimenting with forms, colors, and spatial effects since the mid-1960s. In contrast to the evenly stretched cushions with their bulbous centers, this work appears to be subject to gravity. A pronounced curve extends toward the viewer in the lower section. This is also where the color has found its way. Through compaction and the accumulation of pigment, the color intensity in this area is heightened. At first glance, the work appears in monochrome gray. Upon closer inspection, further nuances become visible—a shade of red can also be found, which leaves a warm chromatic impression and emphasizes the soft form. Allowing color to become the subject itself is the masterstroke of the artist Gotthard Graubner. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport is only available via a shipping company after consultation following the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros over a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #Gotthard Graubner #Abstraction #Germany #Post-War Art #Object #1960s #Post War. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.