Untitled

1981-1984

Acrylic, gouache on paper, mounted on polyester gauze

199 x 209.5 cm (78 3/8 x 82 1/2 in.)

On a background of paper mounted on polyester gauze, flat areas of bright colours mix with gouache drawings. From a composition punctuated by two interlinked spirals and spots in shades of orange and yellow, several images emerge, including a clownish figure, a slender person and a church topped with a cross.

Representing an eminently multidirectional step by Sigmar Polke, this untitled painting happily blends materials, patterns and colours. As a modern alchemist, he likes to create images with a wealth of (sometimes cryptic) signs and levels of reading. Experimenting a lot with media and its links to painting, the artist creates an objet d’art that is complex, precious and fragile.

This work was first shown by the Pinault Collection in 2011 at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi.
Exhibitions