A painting with only a white background by artist Robert Ryman was sold for $1.29 million.
According to auction house Ketterer Kunst in Berlin, Germany , the figure, including taxes and fees, did not reach the expected $1.5 million. The painting, created by the artist in 1970, uses glossy white enamel and modified enamel on cotton canvas. Because the two types of enamel create a fragile surface, Ketterer Kunst did not ship the painting for display before the sale.
"Even the slightest scratch on this flawless surface could diminish the value of the artwork," the unit stated.
Simone Wichmann, an expert at Ketterer Kunst, believes that white helps viewers easily perceive light, movement, and the structure of materials, enabling them to "become creators of art."
Robert Ryman (1930–2019) was a minimalist artist. He was born in Nashville, USA. He studied at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute and George Peabody College of Education, then served in the U.S. Army before moving to New York in 1953.
Originally a jazz musician, Ryman began painting as a hobby after working as a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Despite lacking formal training, Robert Ryman created highly valuable works of art and is one of the most respected artists of his generation.
He is best known for his paintings on a white background. (Answer) Art News In 1986, he said: "White is merely a means of revealing other elements." Curator Robert Storr commented: "Just as he wanted to make every component of a work of art tangible, he also wanted to make the world more beautiful through the presence of the painting."
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