Mrs König, Cologne
Galerie Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne
Acquired directly from the above b🐓y the present owner in 1977

Cologne, Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, A.R. Penck. Gemälde, Handzeichnungen, 1981, no. 10
London, Royal Academy of Arts; Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, German Art in the 20th Century, Painting and Sculpture 1905-1985, 1985-86, no. 273, illustrated in colour  
Tokyo, Setegaya Art Museum; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art; Kochi, Museum of Art, A. R. Penck, 1997, no. 7

John Yau, A. R. Penck, New York 1993, p. 77, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the browns in the cross tend more towards red in the original. There is a horizontal canvas seam bisecting the composition. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is a thin crack to the top horizontal stretcher bar, which has been reinforced by the outer frame. Close inspection reveals a very minor and short horizontal indentation towards the right of the extreme bottom edge, and four towards the extreme upper left edge. No restoration is apparent under ultraviolet 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."

"The concept of "system" was something quite essential and all-embracing. Image as system – system as image. Thanks to this new methodology of the image I found myself tackling a new subject matter and new themes. They became more generalized and more political. The cold war between the East and West was the theme I addressed in my first System Paintings."
The artist in: Exhibition Catalogue, Frankfurt, Schirn Kunsthalle, A. R. Penck: Retrospective, 2007, pp. 14-15

Methode, Fertigzuwerden of 1965 belongs to the esteemed Systembilder cycle that A. R. Penck, then Ralf Winkler, had only just initiated and which formed the breakthrough watershed in his career. It depicts several characters, unknown to us through their anonymous stick-like limbs, engaged in an indeterminate yet purposeful interaction. Penck's mature output has always been motivated by a socio-political purpose, and the Systembilder instigated an organised project with defined ambitions, as explained by Ingrid Pfeiffer: "Penck sought to achieve two aims: first, to introduce the logical and the systematic into the realm of art, which had hitherto been reserved for emotion and intuition, and, second, to create works that would communicate with the viewer... to create new (art) systems, a "language," something that was objectifiable and, in a democratic sense, readable and understandable to all viewers" (Exhibition Catalogue, Frankfurt, Schirn Kunsthalle, A. R. Penck: Retrospective, 2007, p. 36). However, although the characters of the present painting seem engaged in a specific narrative, perhaps in which an artist-creator is authoring work literally on the shoulders of his peers, it is nevertheless an ambiguous picture that traverses figuration and abstraction to afford an array of subjective responses. While implying meaning, Penck's work is never didactic or deterministic, and although allegorical content is possible, his art invites a wide spectrum of interpretation.