Number

1972

Beeswax and oil on canvas, 3 panels

183 x 61 cm (72 1/16 x 24 in.) (each) Overall dimensions: 183 x 183 cm (72 1/16 x 72 1/16 in.)

Three monochromatic panels painted in grey and brown tones are standing vertically. The colors, although relatively dark, strike by their depth and magnetism. Their peculiar rendering is the result of a mix between oil paint and bee wax, a technique invented by the artist in the 1960s.

The density of Number's colors of is also the fruit of Brice Marden's quasi-mystical practice of combining sparse resources and flows of emotion. “The paintings are made in a highly subjective state within Spartan limitations […]. I believe these are highly emotional paintings not to be admired for any technical or intellectual reason but to be felt,” said the artist.

Held in the Pinault Collection, Brice Marden's painting Number was shown for the first time in 2006 at the Where Are We Going? exhibition at Palazzo Grassi, in Venice.
Exhibitions