This is a whole new meaning to “blank illustration.”
A barren white canvas, valued at more than $1.5 million, has been put up for auction in Germany this week.
Minimalist American painter Robert Ryman’s 1970 masterpiece – titled “General 52″ x 52″”, a nod to its dimensions – will be available to art lovers at Berlin’s Ketterer auction house on December 6 and 7.
The artwork appears to be blank, but the all-white canvas with a slightly darker white frame was actually painted using white enamel and enamel paint, which are commonly used to paint metal.
The use of these paint types over cotton canvas resulted in a piece so fragile that it could not be viewed before sale.
“The material is very sensitive and the smallest marks on the flawless surface will immediately significantly reduce the value of the work,” the Ketterer Kunst auction house said in a statement, describing the painting as “in very good condition.”
“That’s why we’re not sending him on the trip.”
Raman, who died in 2019 at the age of 88, was known for his experimental work, which was mostly colorless and stark white.
He had no formal art training, but was instead a jazz pianist who began painting as a hobby after working as a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
While his abortive works have sparked debate within the art community, some of his pieces have sold for millions.
“White is not always white. The white color makes light, movement and the structure of the material visible,” explained Simon Wichmann, an expert at the auction house.
“The viewer is challenged and becomes the creator of the art.”
This isn’t the first piece of curious creativity that has sparked discussion in recent weeks.
Just last month, A banana tube art piece by Maurizio Cattelan taped to the walltitled “Comedian”, sold at auction for $6.2 million – and was Instantly eaten by crypto entrepreneur who bought it – provoking debate, especially because The fruit vendor only earned money For his contribution.
“Some might consider this work Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ of the 21st century,” art consultant Ralph DeLuca previously told The Post, referring to the urinal that was auctioned for $1.7 million at Sotheby’s in 1999.
“How can one really call this exaggerated?”
