Sale: 524 / Post War / Contemporary Art II, Dec. 10. 2021 in Munich Lot 83

 

83
Markus Lüpertz
Das Auge Gottes, 1982.
Oil on canvas
Estimate:
€ 20,000 / $ 21,600
Sold:
€ 22,500 / $ 24,300

(incl. surcharge)
Das Auge Gottes. 1982.
Oil on canvas.
Bottom right monogrammed. 103 x 55 cm (40.5 x 21.6 in). [EH].

• "Artist's are the eyes of God in men." (M. Lüpertz 2017)
• Made the year the artist participated in documenta 7 in Kassel
.

This work's authenticity has kindly been confirmed by Prof. Markus Lüpertz. We are very grateful for his kind support.

PROVENANCE: Private collection Hesse.

EXHIBITION: Galerie Springer, Berlin, December 3, 1982 - January 12, 1983 (with a label on the reverse).
Galerie Michael Werner (with a label on the reverse).

LITERATURE: Lempertz, Cologne, auction 717, June 9, 1995, lot 1048, color plate 20.

Markus Lüpertz permeates the world with his creative means. He finds his own, very personal solutions to show what really matters to him. Be it through the dithyrambic subdivision of objects or the use of canonical models from art history. This is also the case with this painting titled "The Eye of God".
The Eye of God is a symbol of the triune God. It is visualized by a triangle embodying the Trinity, with an eye at its center and surrounded by a halo. The representation has been known since the days of the Baroque era and stands for the omniscience and omnipresence of God and his presence in the Trinity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. It is found in this way, for example, in altar structures or depictions of saints. In the area of popular piety, it is also used in form of amulets for mystical-magical protection against the evil eye. A reference to such an art-historical topos is by no means surprising for Markus Lüpertz. Dealing with important motifs from art history is characteristic of him. Time and again, just as it is the case here, he is concerned with the responsibility, meaning and function of the artist for the interpretation of circumstances. In an interview with the bishop and art historian Friedhelm Hofmann, Markus Lüpertz expresses the role he attaches to the artist in society with the statement: "Artists are the eyes of God in people." (https://www.domradio.de/themen/kultur/2017-04-04/maler-luepertz-und-bischof-hofmann-reden-ueber-kunst-und-kirche) The artist is the one through whom people can see and understand. However, what the artist, alias "The Eye of God", is looking at in this case is difficult to interpret.



83
Markus Lüpertz
Das Auge Gottes, 1982.
Oil on canvas
Estimate:
€ 20,000 / $ 21,600
Sold:
€ 22,500 / $ 24,300

(incl. surcharge)