Christian Eckart

$18,000.00

Christian Eckart
Untitled
1983
Mix Media on canvas
69 × 105 in

Executed in 1983, during the artist's formative years at the Alberta College of Art, this striking mixed media work exemplifies Eckart's early exploration of materiality and form. Working on raw drop cloth, the artist masterfully employs dye, ink, charcoal, and pencil, creating a dynamic interplay of texture and line. The bold geometric composition, reminiscent of Calgary's architectural landscape, reveals the nascent influence of Konstantin Malevich, Piet Mondrian, and the Nouveau Réalistes upon Eckart's burgeoning visual language.

The work is further distinguished by a compelling "blueprint" effect, achieved through the artist's innovative application of a grid pattern to the reverse of the drop cloth. This underlying structure subtly bleeds through, lending a nuanced complexity to the surface. The artist's juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary elements, from Renaissance painting techniques to industrial materials like plexiglass and formica, foreshadows his mature practice, which seamlessly bridges historical and transcendental themes.

This early work, offered unframed for ease of transport and display, presents a rare opportunity for discerning collectors to acquire a significant piece from a formative moment in Christian Eckart's career. His work is held in prestigious public and private collections worldwide, including The Guggenheim Museum and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Broad Art Foundation.

Christian Eckart
Untitled
1983
Mix Media on canvas
69 × 105 in

Executed in 1983, during the artist's formative years at the Alberta College of Art, this striking mixed media work exemplifies Eckart's early exploration of materiality and form. Working on raw drop cloth, the artist masterfully employs dye, ink, charcoal, and pencil, creating a dynamic interplay of texture and line. The bold geometric composition, reminiscent of Calgary's architectural landscape, reveals the nascent influence of Konstantin Malevich, Piet Mondrian, and the Nouveau Réalistes upon Eckart's burgeoning visual language.

The work is further distinguished by a compelling "blueprint" effect, achieved through the artist's innovative application of a grid pattern to the reverse of the drop cloth. This underlying structure subtly bleeds through, lending a nuanced complexity to the surface. The artist's juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary elements, from Renaissance painting techniques to industrial materials like plexiglass and formica, foreshadows his mature practice, which seamlessly bridges historical and transcendental themes.

This early work, offered unframed for ease of transport and display, presents a rare opportunity for discerning collectors to acquire a significant piece from a formative moment in Christian Eckart's career. His work is held in prestigious public and private collections worldwide, including The Guggenheim Museum and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Broad Art Foundation.

Christian Eckart, an internationally acclaimed artist born in Calgary, Alberta in 1959, became an American citizen in 1995. After establishing his career in New York City between 1984 and 2003, he relocated to Houston, Texas at the start of 2003. Over two decades in NYC and continuing to the present, Eckart has showcased his work in over 60 solo exhibitions, including numerous museum surveys, and participated in more than 150 group exhibitions. His art is prominently featured in several prestigious private and public collections, such as The Guggenheim Museum and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Museum Moderner Kunst in Vienna, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Broad Art Foundation, and The Art Gallery of Ontario, among others across North America, Europe, and Asia.

One of Eckart's significant works from 1983, a mixed media piece on drop cloth, has been authenticated by his dealer. This unframed artwork, likely created during his time completing his Bachelor of Arts at the Alberta College of Art, features geometric elements that reference the Petro Canada building in Calgary, now the headquarters of Suncor. Its unframed nature allows for easy transportation and delivery anywhere.

Between 1996-1997, Eckart divided his time between New York and Berlin, and from 1997-2000, between New York and Amsterdam. He served as a faculty member at The School of Visual Arts in New York from 1994 to 2002 and taught at the Glassell School of Art in Houston between 2003 and 2005. He has also held visiting professorships at the University of Houston and Rice University. In 2009, Eckart was honoured with induction into the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts. He has delivered numerous lectures across North America and Europe, completed various public and private commissions, organized group exhibitions, and authored several essays and articles.