Barnett Newman - Anna's Light 1968
Anna's Light 1968
274x609cm acrylic on canvas
Sold for: USD 105.7 million (price excludes sales commission and other costs)
Auction house: Private sale
Sale date: 4 October 2013
Seller: DIC Corporation
Buyer: Anonymous owner
From Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art:
The Newman masterwork Anna´s Light in the collection of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art is the largest painting (274.3×609.6cm) the artist produced in his career. Standing before this canvas with its huge plane of cadmium red that seems to dye the surrounding light in its hue, the viewer can´t help but be overwhelmed by its presence. At the same time, however, many find themselves enveloped in feelings of peaceful repose, hope, love or fearsome awe.
Newman´s working method was to approach each canvas with a fresh mind and no prior scheme for how the new work should evolve. And the work´s title was given after its completion as a symbol of the feelings that emerged during the creative process. The title of this giant red painting takes the name of the artist´s mother Anna, who had passed away three years before the painting was created. With its minimal composition, this work may at first appear to be a pure product of reason, devoid of any human emotion, but in fact it is a very human creation harboring the depth of at painter´s intellect and emotions.