E.C. Goossen, Buskirk, New York (gift of the artist circa 1964)
By descent to the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. The sheets show very light evidence of handling and have yellowed slightly with age. Each sheet is framed under Plexiglas.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"The thing about Goossen is that he was really smart and forward-thinking, and artists really admired him and liked him. He is still remembered in the history of Minimal art as a very astute critic and curator. His shows Eight Young Artists (Hudson River Museum 1964, Carl Andre’s first show) and The Art of the Real(MOMA, 1968) were real landmarks. He was more than just another successful New York art world professional: he was someone with vision, and it’s a vision that’s stood the test of time extremely well." - David Stang

Eugene C. Goossen was one of the most perceptive and influential critics and curators in the New York art world for more than three decades, from the end of Abstract Expressionism through the height of Minimal and Conceptual art. His wife, Patricia Johanson, is increasingly recognized as one of the most important environmental sculptors and landscape designers at work today. Sotheby’s is honored to present this stunning and intimate selection works on paper from their collection. As letters in  Goossen’s extensive archive testify, the ar🍃tists featured here, Carl Andre, Joseph Cornell, Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Smith🌄son, had great respect for him,  both as a critic and as a friend.

E.C. Goossen was a professor of Art History at Bennington College from 1958 to 1961, and at Hunter College of City University of New York from 1961 to 1991. He organized and curated some fifty exhibitions in the course of his career, including shows at the Museum of Modern Art (The Art of the Real: USA 1948-1968 in 1968 and Ellsworth Kelly in 1973) and the Whitney Museum of American Art (Frankenthaler in 1969). In the 1950s and 1960s, he was instrumental in establishing Bennington as a vital place for contemporary art, especially later New York School and color field painting, organizing the first retrospectives for Barnett Newman in 1958 and Motherwell in 1959, and very early shows of Morris Louis in 1960, Kenneth Noland in 1961, and Jules Olitski in1962, among others. His noted exhibition 8 Young Artists at Bennington and the Hudson River Museum in 1964 was Carl Andre’s very first show, and is widely regarded as the first exhibition of Minimal art. Goossen’s articles as a contributing editor to Art International also brought him widespread recognition. His books include Stuart Davis from 1959, The Art of the Real from 1968, Helen Frankenthaler from 1969, Ellsworth Kelly, and Herbert Ferber from 1981.