Lot 93 D

In 1989, the Madrid gallery Theospacio organised a solo exhibition for Jesús Rafael Soto. On the occasion of this show, the artist designed the installation „Esfera Theospacio“ with a height of 3.3 metres and a sphere diameter of 2.5 metres. The model of this impressive work was later issued as a multiple of which one example is on offer in this auction. Even on a much smaller scale, the object unfolds its fascinating effect. From the precise arrangement and painting of the hanging aluminium rods alone, the sphere forms a three-dimensional object in the eye of the beholder. It seems to float halfway up in its mounting and at the same time, the vertical alignment of the rods creates the impression of a rapid fall.
Space and the human facility to perceive its dimensions are of particular concern to the artist. “For me, space is essentially ambiguous. We can only grasp states of spatial ambiguity, which exclude the traditional concept of three-dimensionality. The fullness and elasticity of its nature, its moldable state in constant transmutation make it inconceivable.” (Jesús Rafael Soto, cited from: Soto, exhib.cat. Theospacio, Madrid 1990, unpag., translated from Spanish). Since the end of the 1980s the sphere is a significant motif in many works, an example for this is also the monumental “Large Sphere of Seoul,“ created on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988.