Harvard Art Museums > 2001.1: Untitled (Red) Drawings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Untitled (Red) (Otto Piene) , 2001.1,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 02, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/175128. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2001.1 People Otto Piene, German (Laasphe, Westphalia, Germany 1928 - 2014 Berlin, Germany) Title Untitled (Red) Classification Drawings Work Type drawing Date 1967 Culture German Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/175128 Physical Descriptions Medium Acrylic(?), flame-treated on pigment-coated card Dimensions 68.4 x 48 cm (26 15/16 x 18 7/8 in.) Inscriptions and Marks Signed: in graphite at l.r.: Piene (encircled) 67 inscription: l.r., black ink, handwritten, in artist's hand: 6 [encircled] inscription: l.r., in graphite, handwritten, in artist's hand: f.N. / O Piene [Piene encircled] 67 Provenance Recorded Ownership History Artist created 1967, gift; to Nan Rosenthal (1967-2001), gift; to the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2001. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Nan Rosenthal in honor of the Artist Copyright © Otto Piene Estate Accession Year 2001 Object Number 2001.1 Division Modern and Contemporary Art Contact am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The object is one of Piene’s fire "gouaches," a vertical chain of five circles of dry pigment that has been scorched and blackened with the aid of fire, on a pigment-coated board. The blistered, sooty texture of the circles and halo effect of the burning procedure contrast strongly with the red pigment coating of the support. According to the donor, to whom the object was dedicated, the support is pre-coated paper that Piene referred to as "Swedish carton," and that fades fairly rapidly when exposed to light. The dry pigment was probably ignited and burned using a bunch of candles. (The burning of the pigment on the recto side has penetrated the board, as can be seen from scorch marks on the verso.) Otherwise, the apparent good condition of this object stems from the fact that it has "never" been exposed to light. Publication History Peter Nisbet and Joseph Koerner, The Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, ed. Peter Nisbet, Harvard University Art Museums and Scala Publishers Ltd. (Cambridge, MA and London, England, 2007), p. 54 Subjects and Contexts Animating the Page Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu