Untitled
2016
Oil, lacquer and paper on canvas
250 × 250 cm (98 7/16 × 98 7/16 in.)
An advertising image of a tennis racket on a square canvas covers most of a red background featuring sports brand logos. Broad black, brown or white brushstrokes sweep across the surface, relegating it to the status of a mere pictorial support and no longer a subject.
In his quest for painting that would transcend the divide between figuration and abstraction, Albert Oehlen has recently turned to mixed techniques involving collage, propelling the visual world of the street and advertising into a pictorial relationship without any attempt at being attractive. Yet he manages to manipulate or at least alter, without trying to embellish, the pre-existing still image by applying new layers of paint.
Untitled was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection at the "Cows by the Water" show held at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 2018.
In his quest for painting that would transcend the divide between figuration and abstraction, Albert Oehlen has recently turned to mixed techniques involving collage, propelling the visual world of the street and advertising into a pictorial relationship without any attempt at being attractive. Yet he manages to manipulate or at least alter, without trying to embellish, the pre-existing still image by applying new layers of paint.
Untitled was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection at the "Cows by the Water" show held at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 2018.
Exhibitions
Albert OEHLEN © Adagp, Paris.
© FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa, 2016
Photo: Erika Ede
