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Lot 3486 - A201 PostWar & Contemporary - Thursday, 30. June 2022, 05.00 PM

PETER DREHER

(Mannheim 1932–2020 Freiburg)
From: Tag um Tag guter Tag. 2008.
Oil on canvas (7-parts).
Each signed, dated and titled on the reverse: "Tag um Tag guter Tag" I Peter Dreher 2008 (two undated). One inscribed on the reverse: Peter Dreher "Tag um Tag ist guter Tag" 1198 Kopie von Nr. 1281 aus dem Jahr 1994 (canceled).
Each 25 × 20.1 cm.

The authenticity of these works has been confirmed by the Peter-Dreher-Foundation, Freiburg, February 2022. We thank the foundation for their kind assistance.

Provenance:
- Galerie Wagner + Partner, Berlin.
- Purchased from the above in 2011 by the previous owner, private collection Switzerland.
- By descent to the present owner, also private collection Switzerland.

In 1972, in Peter Dreher's studio in the Black Forest, his first small-format oil painting measuring 25 x 20 cm was produced. The motif may not seem particularly remarkable at first: it shows a drinking glass, empty, on a grey table against a white background. A short time later, however, this everyday object seemed to manifest itself like no other in the artist's oeuvre. The sophistication here lies in the unique choice of the motif and the picture format, as well as the technique and the constant repetition of the subject under almost laboratory-like conditions, as identical as possible. As a result, around 5200 consecutively numbered works were created in two series (Day and Night) between 1974 and 2017. Without question, these works have assumed the status of a conceptual opus magnum.

The following 7 works are from the Day series from 2008. The painted glass is depicted in its natural size on the canvas, external conditions such as lighting, distance, background, or picture format remain consistently unchanged. Dreher chose the glass as a "simple" object. Simple because, according to him, it was an object that everyone knows. Simple, not in the formal sense, but as far as everyday perception is concerned, because we perceive it as very ordinary, and we use it without really thinking about it. Regardless of the prominent positioning of this thick-walled object with its old-fashioned appearance, Dreher's meticulous style and precise application of paint implies a timeless elegance that has an impact on the viewer of the series. The temptation to pin down differences in the painterly execution of the various glasses may seem appealing, but ultimately leads to the realisation that it is the choice of motif that is paramount, and its repetition only underlines its arbitrariness.

Contrary to the assumption that with such an extensive series an element of routine was involved, Dreher nonetheless required exactly the same amount of time to complete each work.
The clear, serial concept, combined with the claim to autonomy of each individual glass, bearing in mind the decades of continuous production, therefore enhances his work all the more.


CHF 30 000 / 40 000 | (€ 30 930 / 41 240)

Sold for CHF 58 860 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.