Lot 202: Auditorium

Dan Walsh (b. 1960) Auditorium signed and dated ‘Dan Walsh 2008’ (on the reverse); signed, titled and dated ‘Dan Walsh “Auditorium” 2008’ (on the stretcher) acrylic on canvas 55 1/8 x 90 1/8 in. (140 x 229 cm.) Painted in 2008.

140 x 229 cm.

London, Saatchi Gallery, Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture, May 2009-January 2010, p. 182. New York, Paula Cooper Gallery, Dan Walsh, February-March 2010.

Paula Cooper Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner

Rendered in brown, black, and white, the patterning in Walsh's Auditorium is reminiscent of ancient Grecian pottery in its coloration and geometric motifs, and the bands around the edges give the effect of an architectural floor plan with the linear borders and rounded rectangles suggesting stairs and columns or chambers. Walsh uses the authority of these classical references to engage with ideas of visual purity. Painted entirely freehand, without the use of a ruler or masking tape, the graphic perfection of his composition is conceived as subjective perception, as the asymmetrical layout defies spatial logic and the subtle idiosyncrasies of Walsh's brush marks infuse design archetype with the friability of human negotiation.