Wallace BERMAN 
Untitled, c. 1974
Negative verifax collage, original wooden frame by the artist
33 x 35,5 cm (13 x 14 in.)
BER1974-1230

$ 75,000

Wallace BERMAN, Untitled, c. 1974. BER1974-1230

This four-hand Verifax Collage is characteristic of the Silent Series, in which left hands (negative Verifax photocopies) are neatly juxtaposed on a dark background. The mise en abyme of hands in the bottom left quarter – one holding a transistor radio inside which two dancing female hands are placed – is a formal technique often used in this series. Arrows showing opposing directions and obscure symbols drawn by the artist, as well as perfectly controlled blotches, typically appear throughout these works. The handmade wooden frame held in place with screws piercing through the composition displaces the mark of the artist’s hand from the center to the periphery of the artwork, further questioning the traditional classification of the arts and crafts.