KOLLER VIEW 4/24

02 pre view. 6 Between abstraction and expression: US post-war art Preview of the PostWar & Contemporary auction on 28 November 2024 circles and a black triangle balance on a filigree met- al frame, as the work reacts to its surroundings in a subtle interplay of action and rest. In addition to such ‘mobiles’ (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp in 1931) which radically expanded the concept of sculpture of his time, the artist also created what he called ‘stand- ing mobiles’, or as they became to be known thanks to Hans Arp, ‘stabiles’. Calder’s sculptures leave a lasting impression of fragile balance and a novel occupation of space. The primacy of the cube runs through the work of Sol LeWitt. His ‘Cubes’ series explores two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional forms. In some, the cube appears in an isometric projection, as in the present work from 1997 (ill. 1). The floating cube seems to permeate the space. The monochrome background enhances this effect and refers to the idea of infinity and weightlessness. Robert Rauschenberg’s ‘Anagrams’ series refers to word combinations that are related to the motifs de- picted. ‘Jones Diner’ (ill. 2) from 1995 is inspired by a diner in Manhattan, just a block away from the artist’s flat at the time. Rauschenberg’s photographs were produced on an iris printer so that the colours remain on the surface of the emulsion instead of penetrating the paper. The results are high-resolution unique piec- es with evenly nuanced colours that merge with traces of water to form a single entity. 1 3 ‘Three White Dots on Orange Stack’ from 1952 is a wonderful example of Alexander Calder's kinetic art (ill. 4). Technical precision, playful lightness and the equilibrium between movement and stillness are all hallmarks of his sculptural work. Here, three white 2