Lot 29 
29
Imi Knoebel
Sonia, 1992.
Acrylic on panel
Estimate:
€ 100,000 / $ 113,000 Sold:
€ 234,950 / $ 265,493 (incl. surcharge)
Sonia. 1992.
Acrylic on panel.
Signed and dated as well as typographically titled on a label on the reverse. 200 x 140 cm (78.7 x 55.1 in).
• A rare large-format work from Imi Knoebel's portrait series.
• In Knoebel's famed portrait series, he took the stylization of the human head, which Alexej von Jawlensky initiated in his “Meditations,” to an extreme.
• Through the individual color combinations and brushwork, Knoebel lends the three-dimensional wooden body a “painterly incarnation” and individual character.
• Most recently, Knoebel's works were on view in the exhibition “Imi Knoebel. Green Flag” at White Cube, Hongkong (2023), and in the exhibition ‘Balance’ at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin (2022).
• Works by Imi Knoebel are in possession of important international collections like the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, and the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
PROVENANCE: Achenbach Kunsthandel, Düsseldorf.
German corporate collection (acquired from the above in September 1992).
Acrylic on panel.
Signed and dated as well as typographically titled on a label on the reverse. 200 x 140 cm (78.7 x 55.1 in).
• A rare large-format work from Imi Knoebel's portrait series.
• In Knoebel's famed portrait series, he took the stylization of the human head, which Alexej von Jawlensky initiated in his “Meditations,” to an extreme.
• Through the individual color combinations and brushwork, Knoebel lends the three-dimensional wooden body a “painterly incarnation” and individual character.
• Most recently, Knoebel's works were on view in the exhibition “Imi Knoebel. Green Flag” at White Cube, Hongkong (2023), and in the exhibition ‘Balance’ at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin (2022).
• Works by Imi Knoebel are in possession of important international collections like the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, and the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
PROVENANCE: Achenbach Kunsthandel, Düsseldorf.
German corporate collection (acquired from the above in September 1992).
The 'Portraits' series, which our work is a part of, was created between 1991 and 1995. Starting in the late 1980s, Imi Knoebel devoted his full attention to color studies. Averting his attention from formal questions, he opted for a consistent pentagonal scheme within a rectangle, evocative of a stylized face. The five parts of each picture differ in color, and seams also accentuate them to increase the intrinsic value of the individual color fields. Seen face-on, the surface recalls the abstracted features of a human face.
“Sonia” is an exceptionally large-format work filled with a powerful presence. The title evokes associations with the great French artist Sonia Delaunay. A subtle yet powerful use of color and innovative form characterizes her works and iconic costume designs.
However, Imi Knoebel is not so concerned with depicting real people as with the broader idea of portraiture, in which the choice and interplay of colors substitute for the face's uniqueness, allowing the colors to speak for the person. In their strict reduction to formally reduced schemes that vary in a rich color scheme, his portraits bring to mind Alexej Jawlensky's intensive examination of head motifs. [EH]
“Sonia” is an exceptionally large-format work filled with a powerful presence. The title evokes associations with the great French artist Sonia Delaunay. A subtle yet powerful use of color and innovative form characterizes her works and iconic costume designs.
However, Imi Knoebel is not so concerned with depicting real people as with the broader idea of portraiture, in which the choice and interplay of colors substitute for the face's uniqueness, allowing the colors to speak for the person. In their strict reduction to formally reduced schemes that vary in a rich color scheme, his portraits bring to mind Alexej Jawlensky's intensive examination of head motifs. [EH]
29
Imi Knoebel
Sonia, 1992.
Acrylic on panel
Estimate:
€ 100,000 / $ 113,000 Sold:
€ 234,950 / $ 265,493 (incl. surcharge)
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