Tubular Solar System by Solyndra

We are always looking forward to ever advancing clean energy generating techniques. These tubular Solyndra solar tubes provide a great alternative to the common solar panels. Each Solyndra tube resembles a skinny glass tube that looks like a fluorescent light bulb painted black. The tube contains 150 solar cells, wrapped around the inside of the glass. Designed and built by Fremont startup Solyndra, the tube can absorb light from any direction and convert it to electricity. Placed in a rooftop rack, the tube can even collect light bouncing off the roof.



In the U.S. alone, approximately 30 billion square feet of commercial rooftop surface is available for PV systems and could be utilized to create in excess of 150 gigawatts of electricity. Globally, this number could be two to three times higher. Tapping even a small fraction of this potential would make a significant impact on the world’s energy needs.

Solyndra designs, manufactures and sells solar photovoltaic (PV) systems comprised of panels and mounting hardware for large, low-slope commercial rooftops. The Solyndra system is designed to optimize PV performance on commercial rooftops by converting more of the sunlight that strikes the total rooftop area into electricity.

Solyndra's tubes, made at the company's Fremont factory, don't need to be tilted to face the sun the way traditional solar cells do. They work just as well lying flat, making them ideal for the wide-open roofs of office buildings, warehouses and big-box retail stores. And because Solyndra's racks leave an inch of space between each tube, they don't catch the wind very easily and don't need to be bolted to the roof, cutting installation time and cost.

Solyndra Chief Executive Officer Chris Gronet said he got the idea after noticing just how much room traditional solar panels squander. Rows of standard solar panels perched on a flat roof have to sit several feet apart so they don't cast shadows on each other. Lay solar cylinders flat, however, and you can blanket the entire roof.

Each of the company's cylinders is actually two glass tubes, one nested inside the other. Rather than silicon, the solar cells use a mixture of copper, indium, gallium and selenium deposited on the inner tube. The outer tube concentrates sunlight and protects the solar cells.

Solyndra's highly automated factory assembles the tubes and mounts them in panels, each containing 40 tubes. The panels are placed on racks that keep the tubes a few inches above the roof. The racks aren't bolted to the roof and can be quickly deployed or removed.

Solyndra's panels employ cylindrical modules which capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity. Solyndra's panels perform optimally when mounted horizontally and packed closely together, thereby covering significantly more of the typically available roof area and producing more electricity per rooftop on an annual basis than a conventional panel installation. The result is significantly more solar electricity per rooftop per year.

The Solyndra system is lightweight and the panels allow wind to blow through them. These factors enable the installation of PV on a broader range of rooftops without anchoring or ballast, which are inherently problematic. The horizontal mounting and unique “air-flow” properties of Solyndra's solar panel design substantially simplify the installation process for Solyndra's PV systems. The ease of installation and simpler mounting hardware of the Solyndra system enables its customers to realize significant savings on installation costs.

Using proprietary cylindrical CIGS modules and thin-film technology, Solyndra systems are designed to provide the lowest installation cost per system and the highest annual solar electrical energy output for typical low slope commercial rooftops.



The Solyndra system’s ability to cover more roof and capture more light results in more annual solar electricity generation. Solyndra panels employ cylindrical modules which capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity. This self-tracking design allows Solyndra's PV systems to capture more sunlight than traditional flat-surfaced solar panels, which require costly tilted mounting devices to improve the capture of direct light, offer poor collection of diffuse light and fail to collect reflected light from rooftops or other installation surfaces.



Wind naturally flows through the gaps between the modules in Solyndra's panel, greatly simplifying mounting requirements. Even in areas with high winds, there is no need for roof-penetrating mounts or ballast to hold Solyndra panels in place. Solyndra's panels have been tested and are certified for use in winds of up to 208km/h (130mph). Further, having a distributed rooftop load of 16kg/m² (3.3lbs/ft²), Solyndra's self-ballasting systems can be used on buildings that would otherwise require structural reinforcement to harvest solar power. Additionally, Solyndra panels impart negligible resultant upward or downward wind loads on a roof structure.

http://www.solyndra.com

Modern Planters

These mid century modern planters are finally available again in the USA. These modern planters were designed in Switzerland between the 1950's and 1960's. These fantastic modern planters took Europe by storm and chances are you will find them just about anywhere in Europe in public places, private gardens, Swiss and Italian lake front estates and hotels, spa resorts and plenty of mid century modern homes.

Available from:
http://www.nova68.com

Sponeck Modern Garden Chair

Julia Von Sponeck: Sponeck Modern Garden Chaise Lounge Chair
Handmade in Switzerland.



The Sponeck garden chaise lounge chair evokes images of well-tended modern Mediterranean gardens and Swiss lakefront homes. Perhaps, because it was designed and hand crafted in Switzerland. This modern chaise lounge chair would feel right at home in any upscale environment. The Sponeck chair is made with durable fiber cement which enhances its cool minimal modern look. This chaise lounge chair has lots of appeal and is very easy on the eyes. A fantastic chair for both residential and commercial projects. Durable enough to be left outdoors year-round; beautiful enough for the indoors as well!


The matching Sponeck Ottoman (sold separately) doubles as a side table, while the felt cushion (sold separately) adds a splash of color and comfort. Felt cushions are available in four color options: 1) red 2) lemongrass 3) anthracite black 4) anthracite black with red lining.

Available from:
http://www.nova68.com

Modernist Coffee Table

Giulio Mancini
Plinksy Glass Coffee Table by Tonelli

This incredible contemporary coffee table is perfect in every way. This coffee table has a beautiful minimal cubist sculptural shape. This is one of the most beautiful coffee tables we have ever seen. The Plinksy glass coffee table features a metal support (available in three finishes) which unwinds itself under the tempered glass turning round till reaching the very top in an original and safe hooking. This attractive modern glass coffee table has a tempered glass top for extra safety. Tonelli's Plinsky glass coffee table will add style and elegance to any room.

The Plinsky glass coffee table is made by Tonelli in Italy. Tonelli manufactures furniture and designer objects in glass. Tonelli was founded in the mid 1980's as the result of a deep and lasting passion for research and experimentation with glass. Tonelli specializes in glass design, glass furnishings, furniture, glass table, chair, trolleys, showcases, glass tv trolleys, glass table tops, glass tables, glass dining tables, glass sofa tables, glass coffee tables.

Available from:
http://www.nova68.com

Round Modern Concrete Planter

Anton Bee and Willy Guhl
Delta 45 Round Concrete Planter

When we first found this planter, it was love at first sight!

Part of the Delta range which is available in several sizes and colors.

Delta 45 has a standard height of 18" and is available in three different widths.

This modern planter is a classic in the history of modern design. The Delta planter was designed in 1951 by Anton Bee and Willy Guhl in Switzerland. These fantastic modern planters took Europe by storm and chances are you will find them just about anywhere in Europe in public places, private gardens, Swiss and Italian lake front estates and hotels, spa resorts and plenty of mid century modern homes. This is one of the most iconic modern design planters that was ever created and it firmly established the reputation of this iconic planter line. The Delta planter is a perfect composition with blends style, grace, functionality and industrial design into one attractive package. The Delta planter is the eternal classic modern design planter with its structural clarity and timeless form. This fantastic modern planter would look amazing at any pool side, garden terrace or even in large loft spaces. It is perfect for both indoor- and outdoor spaces. This modern planter is handmade and imported from Switzerland. This planter is made of mostly organic materials and is 100% recyclable.

Available from:

http://www.nova68.com

Mid Century Modern Spindel Planter

Willy Guhl and Anton Bee
Spindel Mid Century Modern Planter

There is no planter more beautiful than this one!

This modern planter is a classic in the history of modern design. The Spindel planter was designed in 1951 by Anton Bee and Willy Guhl in Switzerland. The planter was shaped like a giant spindle or hourglass. The planter took Europe by storm and chances are you will find it just about anywhere in Europe in public places, private gardens, Swiss and Italian lake front estates and hotels, spa resorts and plenty of mid century modern homes.

This is one of the most iconic modern design planters that was ever created and it firmly established the reputation of this iconic modern planter. The Spindel planter is a perfect composition with blends style, grace, functionality and industrial design into one pretty package. The Spindel planter is the eternal classic modern design planter with its distinctive and convincing structural clarity. A planter, sculpture and work of art. This fantastic modern planter would look amazing at any pool side, garden terrace or even in large loft spaces.

It is perfect for both indoor- and outdoor spaces. This modern planter is handmade and imported from Switzerland. This planter is made of mostly organic materials and is 100% recyclable.

Modern design interior is a modern design blog featuring modern design news on modern furniture, modern lighting, modern architecture and modern home decor. modern design interior is the premier modern design blog reporting on modern designs, modern designers, modern furniture, italian furniture, designer furniture, mid century modern design, space age design, fifties design, sixties design and seventies design, modern lighting, modern homes, modern architecture, modern architects, modern prefab, contemporary architecture, modern style, sixties fashion, mod fashion, modern art, modern home decor, modern interior design, modern home design, contemporary furniture, modern design ideas and much much more.

Available from:

http://www.nova68.com

Willy Guhl Loop Chair Outdoor Chair

Willy Guhl Loop Chair and Loop Table

Willy Guhl Loop Chair

The Willy Guhl Loop Chair is the eternal classic lounge chair. The Loop Chair is a modern chair with a distinctive and convincing structural clarity, a beautiful lounge chair. It is perfect for both indoor- and outdoor spaces.

The Loop Chair was designed in 1954 by Swiss designer, Willy Guhl in Switzerland. The Loop Chair is handmade of fiber cement: a light gray, cellulose infused fiber cement like concrete, which is nearly indestructible. It is an elegant piece of outdoor furniture that's indifferent to harsh outdoor elements including sun, snow and hail. Willy Guhl's loop chair is made with a single self-supporting fiber cement loop, hence its name, the Loop Chair. The chair, which would look amazing at any pool side, garden terrace or in a large loft space. It is lightweight and easy to move around, making it a perfect lounge chair.

Whether used indoors or outdoors, this chair is a sculpture and work of art.

Available from:

http://www.nova68.com

Invisible Naked Glass Chair by Tonelli

Invisible Naked Glass Chair by Tonelli

Now it's there...now it's not! The incredible invisible chair, also known as the naked chair, was designed by the Italian designer Giovanni Tommaso Garattoni for Tonelli in Italy. This spectacular chair is simply gorgeous! Garatonni's invisible naked armchair is so named because it is made with toughened glass giving it it's invisible naked appearance. The transparent greenish Italian glass structure gives the design a visual lightness and timeless sophistication. The actual seat seems to float in space. The openings in the glass sides form comfortable armrests. This chair is available with either white- or black leather seat. This chair is real museum-material and will draw real crowds. It is perfect for any upscale home or office environment! This fantastic modern chair will compliment any interior.

Available from:
http://www.nova68.com

Modern Glass Nesting Tables

Trio Modern Glass Nesting Tables by Tonelli

Trio is a complete set of three glass tables that can be stacked to form a nest, or used individually as side tables. This spectacular set of minimal modern glass nesting tables is simply gorgeous! This very attractive set includes three nesting tables which neatly store under one another when not in use. These modern glass nesting tables are a great way to have functional space whenever and wherever you need them. These glass nesting tables were designed by Tonelli in Italy. What makes them extra special is the way they were made; the glass is fused together with a very special technique which is very clean looking and unique. This fantastic glass table set will compliment any interior.

This modern glass nesting table set is made by Tonelli in Italy. Tonelli manufactures furniture and designer objects in glass. Tonelli was founded in the mid 1980's as the result of a deep and lasting passion for research and experimentation with glass. Tonelli specializes in glass design, glass furnishings, furniture, glass table, chair, trolleys, showcases, glass tv trolleys, glass table tops, glass tables, glass dining tables, glass sofa tables, glass coffee tables.

Available from:
http://www.nova68.com

Henri Cartier-Bresson

We love these classic photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
Rue Mouffetard, Paris, 1954
Gelatin silver print, printed later. 17 5/8 x 11 7/8 in. (44.8 x 30.2 cm). Signed in ink and blindstamp credit in the margin.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography. He helped develop the "street photography" or "real life reportage" style that has influenced generations of photographers that followed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson

Arik Levy Set of three "Rock Tables"

Arik Levy Set of three "Rock Tables"

French mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot coined the term ‘fractal’ in 1975 to describe those geometric patterns that cannot be represented by Euclidian geometry: irregular, fragmented structures which repeat at ever smaller scales. Approximate fractals appear everywhere: clouds, crystals, nautilus shells, even the buds of broccoli. Like Mandelbrot before him, French designer Arik Levy (both are expatriates) dwells on irregular structures in nature: rocks, logs, clouds. Levy began his ‘Rock’ series in 2005 with mirror polished stainless steel versions of the present lot. They resembled quartz (rock crystals) and gallium, a lustrous metal obtained through smelting. Gallium doesn’t occur naturally, nor do Levy’s faultless forms. ‘Absent Nature’, his solo exhibition held last year at Wright20 in Chicago, blazed with contradictions. ‘Fractal Clouds’, ceiling lights composed from tangled fluorescent tubes, were the antonym of ‘cloud’, neither dim nor dark. Below them, Levy displayed his ‘Log’ series, tooled tables whose unblemished surfaces undermined the notion of natural growth. He explained: “These pieces are an evolution of ‘Rock’ that also engages the absence of the parts that are removed…Every facet of these elements represents the absence of nature...” His statement is elliptical, but ‘absence’ rings clearly, and with it faint regret; Levy’s ‘Rocks’ aspire to a higher purpose than irony: they articulate our ever widening disconnection from nature and our irrepressible desire to manipulate it.

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

Marc Newson Lockheed Lounge

Marc Newson's Lockheed Lounge chair sells for a record £1,100,000 (roughly $1,640,000).

Rare and important ‘Lockheed Lounge’, 1988
Fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin core, blind riveted sheet aluminum, rubber-coated polyester resin. 88.9 x 63.5 x 152.4 cm. (35 x 25 x 60 in.) Produced by Basecraft for Pod, Australia. From an edition of ten plus four artist’s proofs and one example with white feet. Underside impressed with ‘BASECRAFT SYDNEY 12’.

After years of waiting, this Marc Newson Lockheed Lounge on the auction block with an estimate of £500,000-700,000! This icon of modern design had a final hammer price of £1,100,000 which is a new record for any living furniture designer and an incredible achievement in this environment.

This ‘Lockheed Lounge’ will be included as ‘MN-14LLB-1988’, in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of limited editions by Marc Newson, being prepared by Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo, Paris.

Marc Newson believes the present lot to be the first of four artist’s proofs, an early example preceding his edition of ten. All examples were built at Basecraft, a small Sydney workshop where Newson developed his ‘LC1’ chaise longue in 1985-1986.That chair was first exhibited at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Sydney, June 1986, and is now in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. Although a markedly different chair, Newson’s ‘LC1’ led to the present form, the ‘Lockheed Lounge’, of which fifteen exist: one with white feet, four artist’s proofs, and a further edition of ten.

The present lot is one of two examples used during the filming of Madonna’s video for her single Rain, shot May 16-19, 1993 at the Santa Monica Airport, Santa Monica, California.

In the order of their acquisition, ‘Lockheed Lounge’ is in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; Vitra Design Museum,Weil am Rhein; and Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.
Phillips de Pury & Company would like to thank Marc Newson and Didier Krzentowski for their assistance cataloguing this lot. With regard to date, edition size, manufacture, and material, this entry supersedes all previous publications of ‘Lockheed Lounge’.

Who can resist a good figure? Not Marc Newson. Since first riveting Lockheed Lounge for a 1986 exhibition at the Roslyn Oxley Gallery in Sydney, he has returned again and again to the hourglass shape as inspiration for much of his work: Pod Drawers, Embryos, and Orgone Lounges. Airplanes, cars, and surfboards are metaphors for Newson, their construction and materials a common point of departure, but the human torso is as fertile a seed for his imagination. Newson is at heart organic, in the vital not voguish sense. The seat and backrest of his Felt Chair stretches and bends like a torso. His related Wicker Lounge recalls a nubile in repose, or two. Lockheed Lounge set the stage for these later works. Even his everyday products—pepper grinders, bath pillows, bottle openers, doorstops—are buxom. Objects resonate when they relate to us. A Newson maxim might read: one must mimic the body to hold the body.

At Sydney College of the Arts, Newson studied sculpture, jewellery, and furniture design. In 1984 he graduated with the outlines of a plan: technical materials, futurism, fluidity—and with inexperience, the burden of every graduate. Later that year he began shaping Lockheed Lounge from foam, as he would a surfboard. His intention had been to cover its fiberglass core with a single sheet of aluminum: “I tried laminating it, but the thing fell apart…Eventually, I came up with the idea of beating little pieces of metal into shape with a wooden mallet, and attaching them with rivets.” (Rawsthorn, Marc Newson, p. 5).

A hallmark of Newson’s later work is “seamlessness”, to borrow from Louise Neri. Smoothness triumphs: neither joint nor junction disrupt the contours of his Alessi tray, for example, or his recent extruded marble tables shown at Gagosian Gallery. Lockheed Lounge, furrowed with seams, beguiles for the opposite reason: imperfection. Flat-head rivets literally and visually suture together a patchwork of aluminum. Coarse seams betray Newson’s limitations, but Lockheed’s fluid silhouette affirms its maker’s search for a clear ideal. At its core—fibreglass-reinforced polyester—Lockheed Lounge is seamless.

In 1943, the Lockheed Corporation transformed air travel by christening its L049 Constellation, a radical airliner capable of transatlantic runs at 300 mph. Nearly a half century later, Newson transformed the design market with his coyly named LC01 prototype Lockheed Lounge, an immediate critical success (purchased by the Art Gallery of South Australia). But like the Constellation—a propeller-driven plane—Marc Newson had not yet achieved Mach 1 speeds. The hand-wrought curves of his chair hint at fundamental human limitations while simultaneously suggesting the perfection of industrial processes. Lockheed Lounge, a paragon of youthful ambition, engendered all of Newson’s later preoccupations with flow and speed.

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

Robert Indiana Love Sculpture

ROBERT INDIANA
Love, 1966-2000
Polychromed aluminum. 36 x 36 x 18 in. (91.4 x 91.4 x 45.7 cm). Engraved with "©1966-2000 R Indiana" and numbered of four artist's proofs lower left side edge. This work is an artist's proof from an edition of six plus four artist's proofs.

We LOVE this fantastic pop-art sculpture by Robert Indiana which will be on sale at the Phillips de Pury New York Contemporary Art Sale, Part II on May 15th, 2009 with an estimate of $300,000 - $400,000.

Robert: I was the least Pop of all the Pop artists. But Pop was also called New Realism. Tom Wesselmann, one of the Pop people, painted nudes of his wife. Now, is she a mass-produced image? In fact, I was mainly influenced by Ellsworth Kelly, who used hard-edged forms and bold colors straight from the tube. Kelly and I were in a show together in Washington called Formalists. We both fit that bill, whereas you could hardly call [James] Rosenquist a formalist. Then the Europeans decided we were all Vulgarians anyway. … Steve: What about the postage stamps? My mother used those for years. Robert: While a lot of other people’s mothers were busy needlepointing LOVE pillowcases. I got a thousand dollars from the Postal Service for three hundred and thirty million stamps. It was the most popular stamp ever issued, barring Christmas stamps. R. Indiana, from an interview with S. Lafreniere, “Robert Indiana,” Index 43, April 2004

Phillips de Pury & Company; New York
Contemporary Art, Part II
May 15, 2009

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

World's Most Expensive Garbage Can

SYLVIE FLEURY
Garbage Can, 2003
24-karat gold leaf on steel. 14 x 12 x 9 3/4 in. (35.6 x 30.5 x 24.8 cm). Stamped with intials and date "SF 2003" and numbered of 25 on the underside. This work is from an edition of 25.

Looking for the most extreme things! Look no further. The world's most expensive garbage can will go on sale with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. Made with 24-karat gold leaf on steel, this is truly a decadent piece of garbage. But we admire Silvie Fleury for her dare as she will certainly touch a nerve or two with this controversioal work. Garbage by Silvie Fleury will be available during the Contemporary Art Sale at Phillips de Pury & Company in New York on May 15th 2009.

Phillips de Pury & Company; New York
Contemporary Art, Part II
May 15, 2009

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

John Chamberlain Mayonnaise Voice

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN
Mayonnaise Voice, 2007
Painted and chromed steel. 23 1/4 x 21 x 29 in. (59 x 53.3 x 73.7 cm).
ESTIMATE $250,000-350,000

We love the intense color combination of Mayonnaise Voice which John Chamberlain created in 2007. Mayonnaise Voice by John Chamberlain will be sale at Phillips de Pury & Company in New York with an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000.

John Chamberlain is best known as an icon of 20th century American sculpture who redefined the notions of modeling, casting and volume. He brought to life a combination of organic notions of composition, a focus on the incorporation of large scale painterly shapes and aggressive manipulations of raw materials that resulted in visually stunning three dimensional artworks directly descendant from the visual idioms embraced by Abstract Expressionist artists Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline. Chamberlain’s talent lies in creating formally challenging sculptures from the long discarded detritus of American consumerism, automobiles, into raggedly amorphous artworks that viscerally incorporate the act of destruction as a pre-requisite to the act of creation.

The present lot is comprised of an amalgamation of delicately crushed of car parts and scrap metal which have been doused in hard, shiny Pop-like colors and fused together to create a voluminous tension that is seamless in energy but not in surface. The composition is formed by chance, a randomly compatible fit of individually created components. These casual junctions allow for multiple viewpoints that give way to various interpretations of the work’s formal definition. The colors are automatically integrated into the work to give clear visual evidence of each part’s interaction with the others. This work perfectly exemplifies the artist’s masterful success at “altering Marcel Duchamp’s notion of the ready-made, and using the car as both medium and tool. In them, Chamberlain incorporated euphoric spontaneity, destruction, and chance and gave body to modernism’s developing belief that the subject of art be its own making. These very strategies were then made to breathe new life into the volume modernism had deflated, and to revive the techniques of modeling and casting modernism had declared obsolete.” (Kertess, K. “Color in the Round and Then Some: John Chamberlain’s work, 1954-1985” in John Chamberlain: A Catalogue Raisonne of the Sculpture 1954-1985, p. 29)

Phillips de Pury & Company; New York
Contemporary Art, Part I
May 14, 2009

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

Anish Kapoor Untitled 2005

ANISH KAPOOR
Untitled, 2005
Painted aluminum. 86 1/2 in. (220 cm) diameter; 18 1/4 in. (46.4 cm) depth. Signed and dated “Anish Kapoor 2005” on the reverse.

This untitled work by Anish Kapoor (artist of the Cloud Gate) will be sale at Phillips de Pury & Company in New York with an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000.

Exploring the fine line between subject matter and content, Anish Kapoor marries simple, elemental materials such as marble, aluminum, petroleum jelly, and pigment with geometric forms to create his spiritually transcendent paintings and sculptures. An exercise in stylistic understatement, his work has become universally recognized for its use of saturated organic colors, sensuously refined surfaces and skins, and its powerful simplicity of form, often resulting in elegant optical illusions. Anish Kapoor’s content is enigmatic, simultaneously using the languages of Formalism and Minimalism while evading their art historical connotations and critiques entirely. In his words “content arises out of certain seemingly formal considerations, considerations…about form, about material, about context -and that when that subject matter is sufficiently far away, something else occurs-maybe it’s the role of the artist then, as I see it, to pursue, and that’s something that one might call content.” (BBC Radio3 interview with John Tusa)

In the mid-1990s, Kapoor became increasingly fascinated with the notion of the void or concavity, playing with the powerful tension between positive and negative space. Many of his sculptures since seem to recede into the distance, disappear into the ground or distort the space around them. Speaking on the subject, Kapoor suggests that “the void is not silent. I have always thought of it more and more as a transitional space, an in between space. It’s very much to do with time. It’s a space of becoming something that dwells in the presence of the work that allows it, or forces it, not to be what it states in the first instance.” (Anish Kapoor in: Anish Kapoor, London Hayward Gallery, 1998 pp. 35-36).

Frequently, it is the presence of this absence or void which acts as the transformative element in his work, converting the medium of stone, aluminum, glass or plaster into a work of art. Often these voids manifest themselves in the shape of circular, elliptical or hemispheric concavities. In Untitled, 2005, Kapoor successfully manipulates space using only the simplest designs to confuse our senses through its reflective and playful relationship with light. The work does not end at its rounded edges but instead extends beyond into our spatial and spiritual existence visually, palpably and audibly shaping our experience of the work. The illusion is enhanced by the choice of a pearlescent white as the color of this work. The disc seems to bleed into the walls of the gallery and the white on white juxtaposition draws attention to the gleaming surface work’s. The work’s milky facade confronts the impenetrable darkness of his earlier void series which created black, cave-like vacancies in various spaces.

Kapoor’s geometric forms are not without their real-world archetypes and the circle, omnipresent in his oeuvre, suggests the important Hindu iconography of the Bindu, interpreted as zero, drop or seed. The Bindu, or circle, is a central point representing concentrated energy and is seen as the point or genesis of creation as well as a focal point for meditation, immortalized in age old South Asian meditative aids such as yantras or mandalas. Kapoor, born in Mumbai, often incorporates ideas of non-being and nonduality common to both Hindu and Buddhist spiritual traditions found throughout India and Asia. In this work, the hi-gloss reflective surface of the lens both absorbs and reflects light, capturing and distorting the reality around it. In this way, the viewer’s eye is drawn into and held by the work becoming a contemporary version of these ancient meditative aids.

“Personally,” the artists states that “I have always been drawn to a notion of fear, towards a sensation of vertigo, of falling, of being pulled inwards.This is a notion of the sublime which reverses the picture of union with light.This is an inversion, a sort of turning inside-out.This is a vision of darkness.” (Anish Kapoor quoted in Cleant, Anish Kapoor, Milan 1998, p. 35) Through his sparse and codified language, Kapoor seeks to understand and communicate ideas on the human condition.The artist successfully draws attention to our own humanity by creating works which play with the viewer’s sense of space, time and other physical realities.

Phillips de Pury & Company; New York
Contemporary Art, Part I
May 14, 2009

http://www.phillipsdepury.com

Robert Gober Contemporary Art

ROBERT GOBER
Untitled, 1993-1994
Wood, vinyl, and acrylic paint. 80 x 52 1/2 x 24 in. (203.2 x 133.4 x 61 cm). Signed and dated “R. Gober 1993-4” on the reverse.

Have a couple of millions to spare? You can get a beautiful Colgate smile...and no flossing required! This contemporary art work was made by Robert Gober in 1994 and has an estimate of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000 (FYI: we are not making a mistake with the zeros). With great subtlety, Robert Gober raises these seemingly common objects to another level. By detaching them from their iconographic context and manipulating them to the point of alienation, he changes their identities. They break out of their representative role. Abstraction (form) and metaphor (meaning) merge. Even if the objects look introvert, intimate and modest, they activate and create space in a dynamic manner,"

Phillips de Pury & Company; New York
Contemporary Art, Part I
May 14, 2009

http://www.phillipsdepury.com