Albert York (American, 1928–2009) Cow

Oil on panel
7 3/4 x 11 in. (19.7 x 27.9cm)
Executed in 1971.

Provenance

The Artist.
Davis Galleries (now Davis & Langdale Company Inc.), New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above.
Private Collection, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Private Estate, Reading, Pennsylvania.

Footnote:

Exhibited

"Albert York," Davis & Long Company (now Davis & Langdale Company Inc.), New York, New York, October 12-November 5, 1977, no. 50.

Note

The present work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Cecily Langdale, of Davis & Langdale Company, Inc., New York. We wish to thank Cecily Langdale for her kind assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Cows are common in York's repertoire and often appear either alone or paired with a human figure or another animal in an extensive, empty field. According to Fairfield Porter, the many images of cows York produced over the years could be analyzed as self-portraits. In his 1975 essay, he explains: "He identifies with his subject, whether a tree, a cow, a glass of flowers, or the woods. But not only with the subject: he also identifies with this materials, and with the translation of the identification with the cow into an identification with the paint he uses to present the cow."

Condition report:

In excellent original condition with no sign of inpainting as seen under UV light. The extremities of the panel are bare: this is part of the artist's working method.

Frame: 12 x 15 1/4 x 2 in.