Rubber Stamp and Pencil on Paper

The medium is rubber stamp and pencil on paper. That alone might be enough to clue you in that the artist is Saul Steinberg. Executed in 1968, there is no evidence in the current Sotheby's Paris listing that this intriguing image was ever published. Given the practical limitations of the medium (and I suspect there must be some pen and ink in it as well), the composition has a complex geometry and flow. It will go up on the auction block on September 27 with a presale estimate of 4,000-6,000 Euros.

Saul Steinberg
Untitled, 1968

Saul Steinberg
Sotheby's Paris Listing for September 27, 2018

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/cordier-pf1855/lot.158.html?locale=en

September 28, 2018 Update:  Sold!

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Saul Steinberg's Pyramid #4

The fourth numbered composition in Saul Steinberg's Pyramid series from 1968 bears labels from two galleries, one in Los Angeles and one in New York, but notably not the Betty Parsons Gallery. The piece is signed in Conté crayon rather than ink, and pencil guide lines visibly extend from the pyramid into the sky and the ground. The work also appears looser in its watercolor finish than the second and eighth examples of the series. It was sold at Heritage Auctions in 2013 for $8,125.

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #4, 1968

Saul Steinberg's signature

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #4, 1968, framed

Saul Steinberg
Heritage Auctions, May 22, 2013

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/fine-art-painting/saul-steinberg-romanian-1914-1999-pyramid-no-4-1968-watercolor-and-rubber-stamps-on-paper-14/a/5138-72063.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

Saul Steinberg
Heritage Auctions Item Description

To recap the last three days of blog posts, here are three Steinberg compositions from the Pyramid series of 1968:

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #2, 1968

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #4, 1968

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #8, 1968

Note:  Attempted Bloggery would like to receive scans or photographs of original works by Saul Steinberg, including further variations on this Pyramid series from 1968.


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Saul Steinberg's Pyramid #8

Six years ago at Christie's New York, Saul Steinberg's 1968 composition Pyramid #8 sold at auction for the same price, $12,500, as Pyramid #2 did last month. The eighth work in the series has two rubber-stamped figures in the foreground on the right, the side with the smaller, shaded pyramid face. The lines of that right pyramid face point toward the figures, which creates an area of visual focus apart from the main horizontal sweep.

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #8, 1968

Saul Steinberg
Christie's New York, November 9, 2011

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/drawings-watercolors/saul-steinberg-pyramid-8-5498651-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5498651&sid=733c85c8-b520-4e0e-93f1-205b835cfb1c

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #8, 1968

Note: Attempted Bloggery seeks scans or photographs of original works by Saul Steinberg.


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Saul Steinberg's Pyramid #2

Every landscape by Saul Steinberg is a thing of wonder,  to be sure, but is it possible his Pyramid #2, from 1968, is a bit too symmetrical? Or do the faces of the pyramid, the different designs of the ink stamps, and the subtle gradations of his watercolor technique serve to relieve any possible monotony? Steinberg is no doubt aware of the issue, yet he doubles down by audaciously placing his signature and the date dead center above the pyramid. The stamps and seal form the vertices of a second pyramid, this one encompassing Steinberg's floating signature. No one can accuse this artist of shyness.

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #2, 1968

Saul Steinberg
Christie's New York, December 12-13, 2017

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/drawings-watercolors/saul-steinberg-pyramid-2-6122118-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=6122118&sid=733c85c8-b520-4e0e-93f1-205b835cfb1c

Saul Steinberg, Pyramid #2, 1968

Note: Attempted Bloggery is always on the lookout for scans or photographs of original works of art by Saul Steinberg.


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Saul Steinberg

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