Raymond Pettibon (b. 1957)
Untitled (We All Smile…)
signed and dated ‘Raymond Pettibon 91’ (on the reverse)
pen and ink on card
16⅝ x 12⅞in. (42.3 x 32.6cm.)
Executed in 1991

Provenance:
Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin.
Pierre Huber Collection, Geneva.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Exhibited:
Lausanne, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Private View 1980-2000: Collection Pierre Huber, 2005.

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Specialist Notes:

‘My primary interest has always been the writing part of it much more than the visual arts, but I don’t think it stands by itself as writing. It’s not literature, it’s art’ (R. Pettibon, quoted in ‘A Conversation with Raymond Pettibon’, in Parkett, no. 47, 1996). With an equal interest in both, writing and drawing, American artist Raymond Pettibon is well-known for his comic-like works. However Pettibon is not an illustrator; he does not simply draw what the text is describing, on the contrary, he presents the viewer with new perspectives by creating new associations where words and images complement each other. ‘I love to read, and I love to write. I love to draw and paint, too. They interlock. I don’t separate them’ (R. Pettibon, quoted in ‘Raymond Pettibon: Sketch Machine’, in Purple Fashion, Fall/Winter 2015). Bringing together text and imagery into a cohesive practice, his drawings are minimal and spontaneous, showing the confident gestures of an experienced artist who has mastered the technique of ink on paper. Taking inspiration from literature, Pettibon reads between the lines and creates new connections to present the viewer with a completely new context. His juxtapositions open windows of interpretation and allow the viewer to take a leap into the realm of imagination, providing the work with a multitude of interpretative dimension.

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