Contemporary + Modern: Art & Design
Fri, Jun 10, 2022 01:00AM EDT
Lot 18
MC ESCHER "Flatworms" (1959 Lithograph, Pencil-Signed)
Sold for
$23,000
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $75,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
M.C. Escher (Maurits Cornelis)
(Netherlands, 1898-1972)
Flat Worms, 1959
Lithograph on cream paper
13 1/4" x 16 1/4"
Pencil-signed and numbered (#17/45) to the bottom left corner. Presented behind glass in a walnut frame that measures 20 1/2" x 23 1/2".
With Flatworms, Escher created a mathematically precise labyrinth of geometric building blocks inhabited by swimming planaria. "Escher discovered that tetrahedrons and octahedrons can be stacked in certain combinations in such a way that they totally fill up a space. In the lithograph Flatworms he plays with these building blocks. The resulting structure has mainly angles of 60 degrees, which produces an extremely odd architecture." (F.H. Bool, M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work) This use of complex polyhedrons as a basis for creating fantasy environments can be seen in other renowned Escher works, including Double Planetoid (1949) and Tetrahedral Planetoid (1954).
Of his Flatworms, the artist commented: "Bricks are usually rectangular, because in that way they are most suitable for building the vertical walls of our houses. But anyone who has anything to do with the stacking of stones of a non-cubic type will be well aware of other possibilities. For instance, one can make use of tetrahedrons alternating with octahedrons. Such are the basic shapes which are used to raise the building illustrated here. They are not practicable for human beings to build with, because they make neither vertical walls nor horizontal floors. However, when this building is filled with water, flat worms can swim in it." (M.C. Escher, The Graphic Work)
Literature: Bool, F.H. M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Works (1982), pub. Abrams (New York), 431.
M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work (1989/ 2001), Taschen (Koln, Germany), 62.
Provenance: A private Kansas City area collection, thence from the collection of noted biologist James V. McConnell, thence directly from the artist. McConnell selected this work during a visit to Escher's studio because of his own biological research with planaria; so associated was McConnell with flatworms as a model organism that he founded and published the Worm Runner's Digest, a long-running scientific journal with a distinctly satirical bent. McConnell willed the work to the present owner upon his death in 1990.
Very good condition, a rich impression well preserved in a custom archival frame. The sheet is beautifully flat and clean, noting only one very minor flattened crease (1/4") at the right margin, barely visible without raking light. The work has not been removed from the frame.
(Netherlands, 1898-1972)
Flat Worms, 1959
Lithograph on cream paper
13 1/4" x 16 1/4"
Pencil-signed and numbered (#17/45) to the bottom left corner. Presented behind glass in a walnut frame that measures 20 1/2" x 23 1/2".
With Flatworms, Escher created a mathematically precise labyrinth of geometric building blocks inhabited by swimming planaria. "Escher discovered that tetrahedrons and octahedrons can be stacked in certain combinations in such a way that they totally fill up a space. In the lithograph Flatworms he plays with these building blocks. The resulting structure has mainly angles of 60 degrees, which produces an extremely odd architecture." (F.H. Bool, M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work) This use of complex polyhedrons as a basis for creating fantasy environments can be seen in other renowned Escher works, including Double Planetoid (1949) and Tetrahedral Planetoid (1954).
Of his Flatworms, the artist commented: "Bricks are usually rectangular, because in that way they are most suitable for building the vertical walls of our houses. But anyone who has anything to do with the stacking of stones of a non-cubic type will be well aware of other possibilities. For instance, one can make use of tetrahedrons alternating with octahedrons. Such are the basic shapes which are used to raise the building illustrated here. They are not practicable for human beings to build with, because they make neither vertical walls nor horizontal floors. However, when this building is filled with water, flat worms can swim in it." (M.C. Escher, The Graphic Work)
Literature: Bool, F.H. M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Works (1982), pub. Abrams (New York), 431.
M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work (1989/ 2001), Taschen (Koln, Germany), 62.
Provenance: A private Kansas City area collection, thence from the collection of noted biologist James V. McConnell, thence directly from the artist. McConnell selected this work during a visit to Escher's studio because of his own biological research with planaria; so associated was McConnell with flatworms as a model organism that he founded and published the Worm Runner's Digest, a long-running scientific journal with a distinctly satirical bent. McConnell willed the work to the present owner upon his death in 1990.