(Alkmaar 1931–lives and works in Lower Franconia) V71-126. 1971. Wood, painted in colour. Signed and titled on the reverse: herman de vries V71-126. 60 × 60 × 30 cm. Provenance: - Galerie Müller-Roth, Stuttgart. - Purchased from the above in 1983 by the present owner, since then private collection Germany. "I give nothing more, but I give it: a small part of reality, palpable, visible, in which the totality is recognisable: the reality that we always experience in its components. So, my objectivation is neither an abstraction nor an opinion, but seeks to give an openness, a freedom, a truth in what exists." Herman de Vries Herman de vries is one of the most important conceptual artists and one of the most active representatives of the avant-garde in Europe. De vries moves confidently in the liminal area between science and art, creating a sensuous, concrete art in and with nature that is captivating in its clarity and touching in its poetic power. The wood relief with its homogeneous structure from 1971 presented here, is a prime example from the series "Random Objectivations", which was created between 1962 and 1975 and refers to the early stages of computers being used in art. In the forefront of these works, which are based on chance as a design principle, is objectivation. As a source, the artist used either punched cards or randomly chosen sequences of numbers, which he took from the book "statistical tables for biological, agricultural and medical research" by Fischer and Yates. From these codes, he developed a programme that gives each number a specific value, i.e. an xy coordinate system that makes the heights, lengths and arrangement of the wooden cuboids legible. With every slightest adjustment of the programme, de vries created a new and unique work of art. By deliberately omitting colour, he gave the work on offer here an architectural lightness,**it appear harmonious and balanced. Herman de vries, who, because of his aversion to anything hierarchical, prefers to write and read his name in the lower case, was born on 11 July 1931 in Alkmaar, The Netherlands. Before de vries began to deal with the realities of nature through art in 1953, as a trained biologist and natural scientist he worked as a farm labourer and gardener in his native country and in France. For de vries, nature is a true work of art from which he draws, and which varies, continually renewing itself, changing and becoming increasingly important for his ?uvre. Already, by 1954, this self-taught artist was able to open his first solo exhibition. As an exponent of Art Informel and co-founder of the "nul" group, his works were exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam as early as 1962. Since 1967, de vries has lived with his wife Susanne in Eschenau, Germany, and works as a freelance artist in his 200 km2 "studio", the Steigerwald. De vries collects, archives and catalogues plants, leaves, flowers, grasses, woods, and stones on his regular walks in the Steigerwald and his extensive travels that take him halfway around the world. He presents his finds to the viewer in their natural beauty. In 2015, the artist represented his country of birth at the 56th Venice Biennale and attracted worldwide attention. Four years later, de vries was honoured for his lifes work with the Gerhard Altenbourg Prize. Herman de vries works are to be found in the collections of numerous renowned museums worldwide. HERMAN DE VRIES (Alkmaar 1931–lebt und arbeitet in Unterfranken) V71-126. 1971. Holz, farbig gefasst. Verso signiert und betitelt: herman de vries V71-126. 60 × 60 × 3 cm. Provenienz: - Galerie Müller-Roth, Stuttgart. - Vom heutigen Besitzer 1983 bei obiger Galerie erworben, seitdem Privatsammlung Deutschland. "Ich gebe nichts mehr, aber ich gebe es: ein kleiner Teil der Wirklichkeit, tastbar, sichtbar, in welcher**Totalit?t erkennbar ist:**Wirklichkeit,**wir immer in ihren Bestandteilen erfahren. Mein Objektivieren ist also weder eine Abstraktion noch eine Meinung, sondern will eine Offenheit, eine Freiheit, eine Wahrheit geben im Bestehenden." herman de vries herman de vries z?hlt zu den bedeutendsten Konzeptkünstlern und zu den aktivsten Vertretern der Avantgarde in Europa. de vries bewegt sich souver?n im Grenzgebiet zwischen Wissenschaft und Kunst und gestaltet in und mit der Natur eine sinnlich-konkrete Kunst,**in ihrer Klarheit besticht und durch ihre poetische Kraft berührt. Das vorliegende Holzrelief mit homogener Struktur aus dem Jahr 1971 ist beispielhaft für**Serie der "Random Objectivations",**zwischen 1962 und 1975 entsteht und schon früh auf computergenerierte Ans?tze in der Kunst verweist. Im Vordergrund dieser Arbeiten, denen der Zufall als Gestaltungsprinzip zugrunde liegt, steht**Objektivierung. Als Quelle verwendet der Künstler entweder Lochkarten oder zuf?llig gew?hlte Zahlenfolgen,**er dem Buch "statistical tables for biological, agricultural and medical research" von Fischer und Yates entnimmt. Aus diesen Codes entwickelt er ein Programm, das jeder Zahl einen bestimmten Wert gibt, d.h. ein xy-Koordinatensystem, das H?hen, L?ngen und Anordnung der Holzquader lesbar macht. Mit jeder geringsten Anpassung des Programms schafft de vries ein neues und einzigartiges Kunstwerk. Durch das bewusste Weglassen von Farbe verleiht er dem angebotenen Werk eine architektonische Leichtigkeit und l?sst es harmonisch und ausgewogen wirken. herman de vries, der seinen Namen aus Abneigung gegen alles Hierarchische mit Vorliebe in Kleinbuchstaben schreibt und liest, wird am 11. Juli 1931 im niederl?ndischen Alkmaar geboren. Bevor er sich ab 1953 künstlerisch mit den Gegebenheiten der Natur auseinandersetzt, arbeitet der ausgebildete Biologe und Naturwissenschaftler als Landarbeiter und G?rtner in seinem Heimatland und in Frankreich. Für de vries ist**Natur ein wahres Kunstwerk aus dem er sch?pft und das variiert, sich kontinuierlich erneuert, ver?ndert und für sein ?uvre zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnt. Bereits 1954 kann der autodidaktische Kunstschaffende seine erste Einzelausstellung er?ffnen. Als Vertreter des Informel und Mitbegründer der Gruppe "nul" werden seine Arbeiten schon 1962 im Amsterdamer Stedelijk Museum ausgestellt. Seit 1967 lebt de vries mit seiner Frau Susanne im deutschen Eschenau und arbeitet als freier Künstler in seinem 200 km2 grossen "Atelier", dem Steigerwald. de vries sammelt, archiviert und katalogisiert Pflanzen, Bl?tter, Blüten, Gr?ser, H?lzer und Steine auf seinen regelm?ssigen Wanderungen im Steigerwald und seinen ausgedehnten Reisen,**ihn um**halbe Welt führen. Seine Fundstücke pr?sentiert er dem Betrachter in ihrer natürlichen Sch?nheit. 2015 vertritt der Installationskünstler sein Geburtsland bei der 56. Biennale in Venedig und erh?lt globale Aufmerksamkeit. Vier Jahre sp?ter wird de vries für sein Lebenswerk mit dem Gerhard-Altenbourg-Preis geehrt. herman de vries Werke sind in zahlreichen Sammlungen namhafter internationaler Museen vertreten. notes:*
Koller will assist in arranging shipping. All costs associated are the responsibility of the buyer.
Contract: Your Bid is a binding and legally enforcable contract.
Payment: Koller accepts only bank transfer for payment. Payment is due upon the close of the auction.
Shipping Terms: Koller will assist in arranging shipping. All costs associated are the responsibility of the buyer.
Buyer's Premium: 2.1 In addition to the bid price, the Purchaser must pay a surcharge of 25 % on such bid price.
2.2 If the winning bid is placed in the course of an internet live online auction ("Online Auction"), the surcharges are subject to the conditions published on the respective Internet sites.
2.3 The Purchaser must pay Swiss value added tax ("VAT") on the surcharge. The stated percentage of the surcharge relates to the successful bid for each individual item.
2.4 The full tax is charged on all items marked * in the auction catalogue, i.e. VAT is charged on the sum of the bid price plus the surcharge for those items. The VAT will be refunded to Purchasers providing a validly stamped export declaration.
2.5 The Purchaser agrees that Koller also receives a commission from the Seller.
Taxes: The Purchaser must pay Swiss value added tax ("VAT") on the surcharge. The stated percentage of the surcharge relates to the successful bid for each individual item.
Condition Reports: 3.1 The items are auctioned in the condition existing at the time of the successful bid.
3.2 The items are described to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, Koller cannot accept any liability for the details provided in the catalogue. The items can be inspected during the preview. The Purchaser is therefore invited to inspect an item prior to the auction and, possibly with the support of an independent specialist advisor, to form its own opinion of the correspondence between the lot and the catalogue description. For the specifications of the items the print edition of the catalogue in the German language (including any later amendments) shall be exclusively applicable. Koller reserves the right to call in experts or specialists of its choice to give an opinion and to rely upon that opinion. Koller cannot be held liable for the correctness of such opinions. Neither any such expert opinions or reports, nor the descriptions of items provided by Koller or other statements pertaining to an item (including statements pertaining to the value thereof) constitute explicit or implicit warranties.
3.3 Subject to Clause 4 below, no guarantee or warranty whatsoever is given in respect of legal and material defects. The liabilities of the Seller vis-à-vis the Purchaser are limited to the same extent as the liabilities of Koller vis-à-vis the Purchaser.
