Canadian Fine Art

September 17, 2020

LOT 51

Lot 51

WANDA KOOP

WANDA KOOP
Lot 51 Details
WANDA KOOP

UNTITLED (BLUE SATELLITE CITY), 2002

acrylic and gouache on canvas
signed, titled and dated to the flap
49 ins x 84 ins; 124.5 cms x 213.4 cms

Estimate $25,000-$30,000

Realised: $24,000
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
WANDA KOOP
  • WANDA KOOP
Provenance:

Leo Kamen Gallery, Toronto
Private Collection, New York

Note:

Wanda Koop is one of Canada’s foremost landscape painters. Her signature canvases are composed of minimal forms and densely layered colours, seemingly simple compositions that reveal the complexities of a world that is part science fiction imaginary and part too-true reality. Deeply aware of the damage humans are imposing on the biosphere, Koop constructs landscapes that feel both timeless and urgent, considering nature, atmosphere, technology and industry in tandem.

Untitled (Blue Satellite City) is one of her renowned “Satellite City” paintings. In this series, she removes the horizon almost entirely and instead uses subtle gradations of colour to define the shift in atmosphere between air and land or sky and sea, as appears to be the case here. This wonderfully delicate quality and soft palette recall an island archipelago suspended in either luminous clouds or a fog-filled, glassy sea. And the familiar topography of roadways emanating from a central urban hub could as easily be interpreted as transportation circuits or airplane contrails.

As in much of Koop’s work, the imagery remains urgent as her compositions are interpreted anew. In our current moment, one can’t help but read the isolated but connected urban spaces as some kind of portent for a future where communication is infrastructural rather than social. Everyone is connected, at a distance. What might subsequent generations see in such icily minimal depictions of space?


We thank Jayne Wilkinson, a Toronto-based writer, editor and independent curator, for contributing this essay. She is currently editor-in-chief at Canadian Art.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 51
×

About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.