Lot: 775

Otto Piene (1928 Bad Laasphe - 2014 Berlin)
Untitled (Fire Gouache), 1965

Gouache, fire, and soot on cardboard. 68.0 x 95.4 cm (cardboard), 69.0 x 96.8 cm (frame). Signed lower right: O. Piene and dated: (19)65 (pencil). Framed under glass.

Otto Piene was a co-founder of the avant-garde artist group ZERO. He is considered one of the central figures of post-war art and a pioneer of light, fire, and air art. Otto Piene's color gouaches mark a crucial step in his endeavor to fuse color, fire, and smoke into an independent pictorial space. The starting point for these works is his interest in elemental forces, which he not only depicts but also actively integrates into the creative process as design elements. They are also closely connected to his other works and to the ZERO concept of a 'dematerialized' art in which light, movement, and atmosphere play a central role.

Provenance: According to oral information, acquired in 1977 at the Heseler Gallery, Munich; subsequently a private collection in southern Germany.

Hammer Price: 11,000 €