Robert Irwin
(1928-2023)
"Afterall," 1956
Oil on Masonite
Signed and dated lower right: Irwin; titled on an exhibition label affixed to the stretcher
26" H x 26" W
Exhibited: Los Angeles, CA, Landau Gallery, "Fourth Outdoor All City Art Festival," 1957

Other Notes: Born in 1928 in Long Beach, California, Robert Irwin served in the U.S. Army in the aftermath of World War II (1941-1945) from 1946 to 1947 before returning to Los Angeles to study art. Irwin spent time at numerous art schools in California, including the Otis Art Institute from 1948 to 1950,?the Jepson Art Institute in 1951, and?the Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts) from 1952 to 1954, teaching at Chouinard from 1957 to 1958. Irwin's work during the late 1950s was deeply influenced by the dominating Abstract Expressionist school, with Irwin working predominately in painting and sculpture. Becoming more interested in perception and its influence on viewers, Irwin began to completely deconstruct his paintings to their essences, defined by his mid and late-1960s dot and line paintings. By 1970 Irwin abandoned both his studio and painting, wanting to break out of the confines of the limitations of painting.

During this period of intense experimentation, Irwin came to the forefront of the California-based "Light and Space" movement. The artists of the Light and Space movement (which included artists such as James Turrell and Doug Wheeler) did not share a singular aesthetic vision, but a belief in the influence of physical space and physical participation of the audience. A uniquely Californian art movement, the artists of Light and Space were influenced by the ambient and environmental light and atmosphere of southern California: sun, sand, blue skies, water, and cars. Irwin's installation pieces focused on a sensory experience and the role of the artist in guiding the viewer's perception of the work. One of these early notable works was a "discs" series produced between 1965 and 1969, in which his installation and manipulation of light and paint made the painted aluminum discs appear to float or recede into space.

In time Irwin's works became what he called his "site-conditioned" works-more immersive experiences for the viewer than his previous works had been. These works would transcend the traditional boundaries of gallery spaces and take over urban areas, whole museums, parks, gardens, and large outdoor areas. For those installations, Irwin attempted to draw the viewer's attention to the site in which his work was made and then to the art's response to the light and environment. One of his most famous, and relevant to California, is the sculptural garden at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, completed in 1997 in conjunction with the opening of the new museum.

This lot is one of Irwin's late 1950s abstract paintings and showcases his belief in pairing down painting into its most basic form, that of juxtaposing shape and color. Irwin exhibited widely throughout this period, usually in partnership with the AbEx (Abstract Expressionist) champions Ferus Gallery. This painting, dated 1956, comes from the artist's later painting period, before abandoning painting for sculpture, and eventually, his large-scale installations.

Robert Irwin passed away in October of 2023. He was the inaugural artist of the MacArthur Genius Award in 1984. His work is included in numerous collections, including?Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the?J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the?Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the?Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the?Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago;?Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; the?Walker Art Center, Minneapolis;?Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.;?Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain; the?Museum of Modern Art, New York; the?Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;?Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the?Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

"To be an artist is not a matter of making paintings or objects at all. What we are really dealing with is our state of consciousness and the shape of our perceptions."? - Robert Irwin

Visual: Overall good condition. A few pea-sized or smaller spots of grime in the lower left and right corners. Slight surface abrasion scattered at the extreme edges.

Blacklight: No evidence of restoration.

Frame: 26.75" H x 26.75" W x 1.5" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.