Marlborough Fine Art, Ltd., London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1986

Marco Livingstone, Kitaj, London 1999, p. 217, no. 417

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals three minor, stable and small networks of hairline drying cracks: one to the centre of the bottom left quadrant, one to the standing male figure to the right centre and one to the bird just below the latter. No restoration is apparent under ultra-violet light.
"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."

R. B. Kitaj's The Old Vic is an exceptional example of his highly celebrated and iconic theatre series. In 1985 he was commissioned to create a permanent safety curtain for London's Old Vic theatre and, developed from a series of preparatory works inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet and painted to the exact proportions of the curtain, this profoundly innovative painting portrays the protagonist at different points in the epic drama within a contemporary context of London's South Bank. Speaking of the commission, Kitaj recalled, "I decided upon a Hamlet theme, re-read the play and painted a bunch of Hamlet pictures, one of which Hamlet and his Father's Ghost was painted to the correct proportion. Hockney told me which wonderful old firm to use to paint the picture up to the right scale. Jonathan Miller had just been appointed artistic director and he came to the studio to see my painting. He said he didn't want Hamlet and his bloody father coming down all during some other play like Lady Windermere's Fan or something. He was quite right and we both laughed. Then I painted The Old Vic to the right proportions." (The artist interviewed by Marco Livingston in: Marco Livingston, Kitaj, 1999, p. 203).

Although this work evokes a spectrum of potential influence, from the lyrical linearity and bold colour of Matisse's Nice paintings to the compositional structure of Picasso's The Burial of Casagemas, Kitaj's painting remains inevitably enigmatic in its enlistment of highly personalised reference. While the central figures in a tight embrace can be interpreted as the artist and his wife Sandra Fisher, the tree that spreads its vivid pink branches across the canvas not only evokes Leonardo drawings of the heart that ceaselessly fascinated Kitaj, but also thematically con♎note arteries and the tree of life that hint at the tragic memory of the suicide of his first wife Elsi in 1969.