Lot 3509 - A213 Post-War & Contemporary - jeudi, 26. juin 2025, 15h00
UGO RONDINONE
(Brunnen 1962–lives and works i.a. in New York City)
No. 354 Siebzehntermärzzweitausendundfünf. 2005.
Acrylic on canvas.
Signed on the gallery label on the reverse: Ugo Rondinone.
Diameter 80 cm.
Provenance:
- Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich (verso with the label).
- Private collection, Switzerland, acquired at the above gallery.
The Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone ranks among the most influential voices in contemporary conceptual art, where aesthetic experience is inextricably linked to social reflection. His multifaceted oeuvre—encompassing sculpture, painting, installation, as well as light and sound works—reveals an artistic practice that is as visually compelling as it is poetically charged. Themes such as transience, isolation, corporeality, but also resilience and nature, form the thematic core of his series, which can be read not merely in formal terms, but also through existential and political lenses.
Rondinone’s works often navigate a charged tension between meditative stillness and expressive use of color—an interplay that becomes particularly striking in his solo exhibitions. Most recently, in autumn 2024, the Kunstmuseum Luzern hosted a retrospective titled Cry Me a River, presenting three decades of his artistic practice. The centrepiece of the exhibition, a semi-circular, rainbow-colored neon light installation bearing the same name, recalls both the work "SIEBZEHNTERMÄRZZWEITAUSENDUNDFÜNF" (lot 3509) and the Zurich-based light installation "love invents us".
Yet Rondinone’s iconic circular paintings are far more than fields of intense chromatic experience. With their focus on the center, on repetition and rhythm, they allude to practices of contemplative introspection while also referencing collective symbols such as the rainbow flag. These works oscillate between the inner realm of personal emotion and the broader sphere of societal identity. In contrast, the work "Get up girl, a SUN is running the world" (lot 3506) introduces a distinctly feminist tone. Through linguistic precision and graphic clarity, it addresses themes of gender justice and emancipation—delivered not with pathos, but with resolute conviction. A quieter, more meditative character emerges in 30 May 2008 (lot 3508), which evokes the vastness of the night sky or outer space, inviting contemplation of one's own place in the universe.
These three works exemplify how Rondinone’s art fluctuates between minimalism and emotion, between intellectual reflection and sensual intensity. His creations do not offer definitive interpretations; rather, they open up spaces—for subjective projection, political resonance, and quiet attentiveness. They stand as counter-images to a hyper-saturated present—and at the same time, as its subtle commentary.
Rondinone’s works often navigate a charged tension between meditative stillness and expressive use of color—an interplay that becomes particularly striking in his solo exhibitions. Most recently, in autumn 2024, the Kunstmuseum Luzern hosted a retrospective titled Cry Me a River, presenting three decades of his artistic practice. The centrepiece of the exhibition, a semi-circular, rainbow-colored neon light installation bearing the same name, recalls both the work "SIEBZEHNTERMÄRZZWEITAUSENDUNDFÜNF" (lot 3509) and the Zurich-based light installation "love invents us".
Yet Rondinone’s iconic circular paintings are far more than fields of intense chromatic experience. With their focus on the center, on repetition and rhythm, they allude to practices of contemplative introspection while also referencing collective symbols such as the rainbow flag. These works oscillate between the inner realm of personal emotion and the broader sphere of societal identity. In contrast, the work "Get up girl, a SUN is running the world" (lot 3506) introduces a distinctly feminist tone. Through linguistic precision and graphic clarity, it addresses themes of gender justice and emancipation—delivered not with pathos, but with resolute conviction. A quieter, more meditative character emerges in 30 May 2008 (lot 3508), which evokes the vastness of the night sky or outer space, inviting contemplation of one's own place in the universe.
These three works exemplify how Rondinone’s art fluctuates between minimalism and emotion, between intellectual reflection and sensual intensity. His creations do not offer definitive interpretations; rather, they open up spaces—for subjective projection, political resonance, and quiet attentiveness. They stand as counter-images to a hyper-saturated present—and at the same time, as its subtle commentary.
CHF 50 000 / 80 000 | (€ 51 550 / 82 470)
Vendu pour CHF 62 500 (frais inclus)