Description:

Jules Olitski (1922-2007), American

PRESSURE COMPACT, 1987

water and oil-based enamel on plexiglass
signed, titled, and dated verso
49 x 41.25 in — 124.5 x 104.8 cm

Estimate: $45,000—65,000

    Provenance:
  • Gallery One, Toronto, ON
    Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto, ON
    Private Collection, Toronto, ON
  • Dimensions:
  • 49 x 41.25 in — 124.5 x 104.8 cm
  • Artist Name:
  • Jules Olitski (1922-2007)
  • Exhibited:
  • Untitled 2011, Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto, ON, 6 Jan - 11 Feb 2017.
  • Medium:
  • water and oil-based enamel on plexiglass
  • Notes:
  • Each decade of Jules Olitski’s 40 year career is defined by distinct experimental and expressive handling of materials. Pressure Compact, 1987 can be described as a transitional piece, stylistically situated between his exploration of iridescent paints in the 1970s and early 1980s and his sculptural Mitt paintings of the late 1980s and early 1990s - a culmination of all his artistic experiments.
    Beginning his career alongside Color Field movement heavy-hitters like Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Larry Poons, and Frank Stella, Olitski rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s with his Core and Curtain paintings which focused on the saturation of colour on the canvas.[1] Soon after, Oltiski developed the goal of “suspending colour” on the canvas which he achieved by applying paint to unprimed canvases via a compressed-air spray gun in his aptly named Spray paintings. The emphasis on the overall effect or gestalt of his work allowed the artist to transcend media, material, and convention, landing Olitski the first solo show by a living artist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1969.[2] 
    In Pressure Compact, 1987, Olitski builds upon layers of acrylic and oil-based enamel paints creating a sculptural surface that evokes the ethereal elements of his Spray paintings while dismissing the physical limitations of painting on plexiglass. What is ultimately achieved in Pressure Compact is a multitude of dichotomies coexisting on an unconventional plane where colours are simultaneously lucid and opaque but never dull.

    [1] https://issuu.com/yaresart/docs/olitski-ebook
    [2] https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16028coll12/id/1989/
  • Condition:
  • Very good overall condition.

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May 29, 2024 6:00 PM EDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
CA$0 CA$249 CA$10
CA$250 CA$499 CA$25
CA$500 CA$999 CA$50
CA$1,000 CA$1,999 CA$100
CA$2,000 CA$4,999 CA$250
CA$5,000 CA$9,999 CA$500
CA$10,000 CA$19,999 CA$1,000
CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
CA$50,000 CA$99,999 CA$5,000
CA$100,000 CA$299,999 CA$10,000
CA$300,000 CA$999,999 CA$25,000
CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
CA$2,000,000 CA$2,999,999 CA$100,000
CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000