Adolf Luther

(German, 1912-1990)

Hohlspiegelobjekt kinetisch
1976

Footnotes

This work is registered, with friendly support of Dr. Magdalena Broska, in the archive of the Adolf-Luther-Foundation, Krefeld, under no. HSP 76 004.

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 1977


Displaying the incredible breadth and range of Adolf Luther's output, the following four works offer a rare opportunity to encounter an important group of works appearing on the open market for the first time since their execution. All four were acquired directly from the artist on their completion and held in an important private American collection ever since; these apparently diverse and intriguing three-dimensional works share one notable aspiration, namely the capture, reflection and refraction of pure light. As such, they embody Adolf Luther's main objective in the creation of his art. No longer interested in the idea of representing light or recreating its effects on the surrounding environment in paint or even in photography, Luther aimed to make art from luminescence itself.

The following works included here represent a fascinating survey of the various approaches taken by Luther in his ongoing research into the properties of light. As is typical in Luther's art, the title of each piece gives a concise description of its principle, the brevity of each displaying a succinctness typical of the German language: Hohlspiegelobjekt kinetisch can be translated as 'Kinetic concave mirror object', Sphärisches Hohlspiegelobjekt is a 'Spherical concave mirror object', Hohlspiegelobjekt simply a 'Concave mirror object', and last but certainly not least, Hängelinse is a 'hanging lens'. Each of these works utilises its own individual techniques for manipulating light, each with stunning effect.

The immense Hohlspiegelobjekt kinetisch (lot 3) employs an electric motor to rotate a series of mirrors arranged in a regular framework, each gentle and steady turn bringing new shape and colour to the ever-changing surface: this outstanding work is one of the largest examples to be fitted with a motor, which is extremely rare. Sphärisches Hohlspiegelobjekt (lot 4) uses layers of translucent glass lenses to alter and contort the images captured in its mirrors Hohlspiegelobjekt (lot 5) places a central grid of 15 concave mirrors bordered by a further 34 convex mirrors in regimented fashion, flipping and distorting its surroundings. Hängelinse (lot 6) is a large round double-sided lens which dangles from the ceiling, hovering like a giant eyeglass as it magnifies, manipulates, and reflects.

With such three-dimensional works, Adolf Luther engaged in a lifelong search for artistic novelty. Throughout his long career, he continually experimented with materials, but ultimately the objects that he created were only a means to an end: it is not the mirrors or the lenses themselves that captivate the viewer, but rather the visual effects that they produce: light itself is the key material. The radical approaches of Luther's work led to his inevitable involvement in the Zero group, a movement founded in 1957 by fellow German artists Heinz Mack and Otto Piene which later spread across the globe, establishing links with numerous avant-garde artists including Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni. Often seen as the antithesis of the prevailing painterly traditions of Abstract Expressionism Zero promoted art which was largely devoid of colour and gesture, and lacking in any clear sense of emotion or individual expression. The group's name was also significant, with Otto Piene describing Zero as "a word indicating a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning as at the countdown when rockets take off. Zero is the incommensurable zone in which the old state turns into the new" (the artist in: Happenings and Other Acts, London 1995, p. 270). Often futuristic in appearance, such art was intended as a new aesthetic for a new world. During his lifetime, Luther took part in Zero exhibitions in Berlin, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen and Philadelphia. More recently, an exhibition dedicated to the group staged by New York's Guggenheim Museum and entitled Zero: Countdown to Tomorrow placed one of Luther's 'mirrored objects' in context with light and mirror works by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack, as well as others by Christian Megert and Hermann Goepfert. The fascinating and intricate relationships between these artists and their work thus became clear for a twenty-first century audience.

The incomparable innovation evident in Adolf Luther's work is perhaps thanks to the fact that he was largely self-taught. From his first attempts at painting in 1942 to his death in 1990, he devoted himself to artistic research, following his own distinct path as he explored the potential of glass, mirror, Perspex, motors and even lasers. Licht und Materie (Light and Material) were the words that the artist himself often used to describe his works, perfectly summing up both their stark simplicity and their inherent ambition. Luther would sometimes stamp Licht und Materie on the reverse of his works, and interestingly Sphärisches Hohlspiegelobjekt, 1968 and Hohlspiegelobjekt kinetisch, 1976 both bear this stamp. The four artworks which make up this incredible collection represent some of the finest examples of these intentions. The dazzling impact of these works, which successfully harness the most transitory and liminal of media, is truly astounding.