Editions & Works on Paper 
18 April 2024
Editions & Works on Paper 
146

Pierre Soulages 1919–2022

Eau-forte No. 17

1961
etching in colors image: 18¼ h × 22½ w in (46 × 57 cm) sheet: 22⅝ h × 30 w in (57 × 76 cm)
estimate: $8,000–10,000
result: $9,450
follow artist
own a similar item?
free evaluation

Signed and numbered to lower margin of sheet ‘10/100 Pierre Soulages’. This work is number 10 from the edition of 100 printed by Lacourière, Paris and published by Berggruen, Paris.
provenance: Private Collection | Thence by descent
literature: Rivière XVII

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

print

When I was 16, I saw a reproduction of a prehistoric cave painting of a bison from the Altamira cave in Spain. I read that this painting dated back 18,000 years...at 16, I decided to do something brave: I went on a prehistoric dig. That’s how I started thinking about art. It’s fascinating to think that as soon as man came into existence, he started painting. I’ve always loved black, and I realized that, from the beginning, man went into completely dark caves to paint. They painted with black too. They could have painted with white because there were white stones all over the ground, but no, they chose to paint with black in the dark. It’s incredible, isn’t it? —Pierre Soulages

146