“Painter and theorist Barnett Newman was one of the most intellectual artists of the New York School… His approach to art making was shaped by his studies in philosophy at The City College of New York and his political activism… In 1948, with the completion of a painting titled Onement, I, Newman found his voice. It was in this work that he hit upon what would become the signature motif that defined all of his paintings to come: a vertical band connecting the upper and lower margins of the painting that he called a “zip.” His zips streak through fields of color in spare compositions that prompted critics to dub him a Color Field painter and Minimalists to look to his work for inspiration. But call him what they would, Newman maintained his own view of his abstractions. Claiming that he sought ‘to start from scratch, to paint as if painting never existed before,’ he saw his compositions as forms of thought, as expressions of the universal experience of being alive and individual…” -MoMA.org:

A little known fact: Newman’s visit to Oaxaca City, Mexico in the 1940’s was foundational to the development of his personal style; it heavily influenced his use of colour, and his notorious “zips” in his paintings. His photo series of Oaxacan walls illustrates the direct connection between his inspiration and his work. Art historians have estimated the value of these sketchbook ephemera at approximately $100,000 for each set. The present owner discovered them under the bed in her B and B on her recent visit to Oaxaca City and decided to bring them home as a souvenir.

Sotheby's estimate: $100,000

Barnett Newman

1940

“A painter is a choreographer of space” -Barnett Newman
A visit to Oaxaca is like immersing oneself in an abstract expressionist world - every vertical surface is covered in a patina of paint, layers of plaster, and papered graphics. It is a celebration of colour, texture and mark-making! My photos are printed on aluminium sheets to maximize the vibrancy and reflectiveness of the Mexican sun, and the texture and colour of those photos appear in my ceramics work.

photo print on aluminium