Sale: Christie's, London, Contemporary Art,  23 June 2006, Lot 354 

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is lighter and more vibrant in the original, with the dark prune colour tending more to rich metallic burgundy in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are unobtrusive very fine scratches to the surface, which are visible under raking light and inherent to the artist's choice of medium. There are few minute dark spots to the work's surface which are irregularities to the glazed surface and inherent to the artist's chosen medium. There are a number of tiny losses to the work's wall mounted edge, not visible when installed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The title of the present work, After Marsyas, refers to Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor's 2002 Unilever Series commission for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. Entitled Marsyas, the Tate installation comprised of three steel rings joined together by a crimson PVC membrane which stretched from one end of the vast Turbine Hall to the other, shifting from vertical to horizontal and back to v꧂ertical again. He approached the space as a rectangular box, realising that the only way he could take on the daunting height of the Turbine Hall was, paradoxically, to use its length.

The present work witnesses similar transitions of form that seek to confound the viewer's understanding of spatial perception. Like with Marsyas, it is impossible to view the sculpture's entire form in any one position and instead we are left to construct the whole from a series of shape-shifting encounters. Acclaimed for his enigmatic sculptural forms that permeate physical and psychological space through the qualities of their colour, surface and shape, Kapoor's After Marsyas presents a experiential lens for contemplating the metaphysical polarities of human experience. "There's something imminent in the work," explains Kapoor, "but the circle is only completed by the viewer. Now that's a very different position from a work let us say with a subject matter, where the work itself, so to speak, has a complete circle of meaning and counterpoint." (Anish Kapoor interviewed by John Tusa, BBC Radio 3, 6 July 2003)