Bernard Aubertin (1934-2015) - Monocromo Rosso

A very rare and historic Red Monochrome created by Bernard Aubertin in 1961, in the heart of the Zero period, when the artist defined his poetics of fire and red as a tool of annihilation and regeneration.

This work, extremely tactile and rich in gesture and expressive intensity, is an extraordinary document of the early phase of his monochrome research.

It is a historical piece for dating and technique, executed on panel, with the typical thick, spatula-driven handling that characterizes the works from the very early 1960s of this extraordinary artist. The undulations in the color were obtained with flexible spatulas, metal blades, or with masonry tools (smooth or toothed trowels), to create material rhythms that “vibrate” under the light. And this monochrome from 1961 is a clear and extremely rare example of it. These highly material undulations transform the monochrome into a dynamic field, where light moves across the crests of the surface. The red, therefore, becomes living, pulsating matter.

The support for the work is characterized by a very thick solid wood board, probably spruce or pine, given the pronounced grain and the presence of knots typical of these resinous woods (as can be seen on the back). This is absolutely consistent with Bernard Aubertin's practice in the early 1960s, when he often worked with rudimentary, cheap supports and sometimes self-made or recycled ones.

The work is authenticated and archived, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and archiving issued by the Bernard Aubertin Official Archive, together with a written statement from the Archive that the work will be published in the General Catalogue, which is currently in preparation.

A unique opportunity for collectors and galleries to acquire a historic work of museum-quality, signed by one of the figures of the European postwar avant-garde.

For privacy and security reasons, the archive number present in the certificate attached to the photographs has been obscured.