Acrylic , fluorescent acrylic and Roll-A-Tex on canvas.. Twice signed and dated on the reverse of the canvas. 238.8 x 238.5 cm.
• Bright, fluorescent colors with a large Roll-A-Tex element: an early haptic work with striking impact, executed with high technical accuracy. • Peter Halley became famous as a representative of “Neo-Geo,” a celebrated New York art movement of the late 1980s. • “The Hot Four: Get Ready for the Next Art Stars” was the headline of a 1986 New York Magazine article about Peter Halley, Jeff Koons, Ashley Bickerton, and Meyer Vaisman. • Other works by the artist are part of international museum collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Tate Gallery, London, the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. LITERATURE: Thomas Hoppe, Acrylmalerei. Die künstlerischen Techniken, Leipzig 2000, p. 212. El Sourdog Hex (ed.), Nineteen artists, Berlin 2010 (illustrated on p. 164).
Neues Museum Weserburg, Bremen (permanent loan). La Colleccion Onnasch. Aspects of Contemporary Art, MACBA, Barcelona, November 7, 2001 - February 24, 2002; Museu Serralves, Porto, March 22 - June 23, 2002. Peter Halley. Cells and Conduits, El Sourdog Hex, Berlin, May 4 - June 27, 2009. Peter Halley: New Paintings, Jablonka Galerie, Cologne, June 1993.
Jablonka Galerie, Cologne. Private collection
New York "Neo-Geo": Peter Halley's abstractions Peter Halley became famous for his geometric abstract paintings as a representative of the “Neo-Geo” movement. In 1986, he exhibited together with Jeff Koons, Ashley Bickerton, and Meyer Vaisman at the renowned Sonnabend Gallery in SoHo, New York. A name was quickly found for the loose group of four young artists: “Neo-Geo,” as an abbreviation for “Neo-Geometric,” established itself in the art scene and found a loud echo in Peter Halley's radiant high precision works. On October 26, 1986, Paul Taylor headlined in New York Magazine: “The Hot Four: Get Ready for the Next Art Stars.” There was no stopping their rapid success. Eugen and Barbara Schwartz, and Charles Saatchi were among the first to collect their works. Peter Halley was born in New York in 1953. He studied at the renowned Yale University in New Haven from 1971 to 1975 before transferring to the University of New Orleans, where he remained until 1978. He began working in the style of Geometric Abstraction in the early 1980s, although his forms are more abstract than self-referential. For Peter Halley, geometric abstraction is not non-representational but an abstract representation. His subjects range from architecture to highways, from prisons or circuit boards to images of mass production. References to the content of his works are often evident in titles such as “Dream House” or “Prison with Yellow Window.” However, metaphorical titles are frequently found in his work, suggesting a different origin, such as “All Dangers are Equal” or “Soul Control”. In the present work “Station” from 1992, the composition is dominated by a rectangular surface. The dark blue color is mixed with Roll-A-Tex, an additive with a sand texture that lends the color a grainy, haptic structure. Starting from the center, lines in different colors radiate outwards, reminiscent of the lines on a subway map. This painting invites the viewer to draw many different conclusions, from a pure explosion of color to a well-thought-out reproduction of reality, adding another level to the bright, technically precise composition. In addition to painting and printmaking, Peter Halley is also active as art critic and lecturer, teaching at Columbia University and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Since 2002, he has also served as Director of Graduate Studies in Painting and Printmaking at Yale University. His works are part of international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. [AR]
This large-format work of exceptionally high technical quality consists of two combined canvas elements. It is in good condition. The smaller lower part measures approx. 56 cm in height. There are isolated light spots in the blue square, presumably adhesions, and two small retouched spots (no larger than 0.5 cm) in the lower left. The surrounding areas show isolated small brown spots, which may be production marks. However, these are only visible upon very close inspection and do not impair the overall harmonious appearance of the painting. The condition report was compiled in daylight and with the help of a UV light to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Lot Details
Acrylic , fluorescent acrylic and Roll-A-Tex on canvas.. Twice signed and dated on the reverse of the canvas. 238.8 x 238.5 cm.
• Bright, fluorescent colors with a large Roll-A-Tex element: an early haptic work with striking impact, executed with high technical accuracy. • Peter Halley became famous as a representative of “Neo-Geo,” a celebrated New York art movement of the late 1980s. • “The Hot Four: Get Ready for the Next Art Stars” was the headline of a 1986 New York Magazine article about Peter Halley, Jeff Koons, Ashley Bickerton, and Meyer Vaisman. • Other works by the artist are part of international museum collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Tate Gallery, London, the Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. LITERATURE: Thomas Hoppe, Acrylmalerei. Die künstlerischen Techniken, Leipzig 2000, p. 212. El Sourdog Hex (ed.), Nineteen artists, Berlin 2010 (illustrated on p. 164).
Neues Museum Weserburg, Bremen (permanent loan). La Colleccion Onnasch. Aspects of Contemporary Art, MACBA, Barcelona, November 7, 2001 - February 24, 2002; Museu Serralves, Porto, March 22 - June 23, 2002. Peter Halley. Cells and Conduits, El Sourdog Hex, Berlin, May 4 - June 27, 2009. Peter Halley: New Paintings, Jablonka Galerie, Cologne, June 1993.
Jablonka Galerie, Cologne. Private collection
New York "Neo-Geo": Peter Halley's abstractions Peter Halley became famous for his geometric abstract paintings as a representative of the “Neo-Geo” movement. In 1986, he exhibited together with Jeff Koons, Ashley Bickerton, and Meyer Vaisman at the renowned Sonnabend Gallery in SoHo, New York. A name was quickly found for the loose group of four young artists: “Neo-Geo,” as an abbreviation for “Neo-Geometric,” established itself in the art scene and found a loud echo in Peter Halley's radiant high precision works. On October 26, 1986, Paul Taylor headlined in New York Magazine: “The Hot Four: Get Ready for the Next Art Stars.” There was no stopping their rapid success. Eugen and Barbara Schwartz, and Charles Saatchi were among the first to collect their works. Peter Halley was born in New York in 1953. He studied at the renowned Yale University in New Haven from 1971 to 1975 before transferring to the University of New Orleans, where he remained until 1978. He began working in the style of Geometric Abstraction in the early 1980s, although his forms are more abstract than self-referential. For Peter Halley, geometric abstraction is not non-representational but an abstract representation. His subjects range from architecture to highways, from prisons or circuit boards to images of mass production. References to the content of his works are often evident in titles such as “Dream House” or “Prison with Yellow Window.” However, metaphorical titles are frequently found in his work, suggesting a different origin, such as “All Dangers are Equal” or “Soul Control”. In the present work “Station” from 1992, the composition is dominated by a rectangular surface. The dark blue color is mixed with Roll-A-Tex, an additive with a sand texture that lends the color a grainy, haptic structure. Starting from the center, lines in different colors radiate outwards, reminiscent of the lines on a subway map. This painting invites the viewer to draw many different conclusions, from a pure explosion of color to a well-thought-out reproduction of reality, adding another level to the bright, technically precise composition. In addition to painting and printmaking, Peter Halley is also active as art critic and lecturer, teaching at Columbia University and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Since 2002, he has also served as Director of Graduate Studies in Painting and Printmaking at Yale University. His works are part of international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. [AR]
This large-format work of exceptionally high technical quality consists of two combined canvas elements. It is in good condition. The smaller lower part measures approx. 56 cm in height. There are isolated light spots in the blue square, presumably adhesions, and two small retouched spots (no larger than 0.5 cm) in the lower left. The surrounding areas show isolated small brown spots, which may be production marks. However, these are only visible upon very close inspection and do not impair the overall harmonious appearance of the painting. The condition report was compiled in daylight and with the help of a UV light to the best of our knowledge and belief.
Peter Halley 
