The Collection of José Gómez-Sicre
Alexander Slato, Caracas
Acquired from the above, 1998

Washington, D.C., Pan American Union, Elsa Gramcko of Venezuela, May 13-June 14, 1959, illustrated on cover
São Paulo, Museu de Arte Moderna, V Bienal de São Paulo, Sala Especial, Venezuela, September-December 1959, p. 407, no. 1
Miami, The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Embracing Modernity: Venezuelan Geometric Abstraction, October 13, 2010-January 2, 2011, p. 39, illustrated in color

This work on canvas is unlined and in quite original condition. The paint layer is clean and stable. The varnish is quite shiny. There is what appears to be an original tonal glaze over the light colors, and cleaning is not recommended. There are retouches that have slightly discolored that are visible in the lower right and in other spots on the upper center edge. Retouches can also be seen under ultraviolet light in a few isolated dots in the center of the pale green background. The condition of the painting is very good. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
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.
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Elsa Gramcko is situated among the constellation of premier, modern female Latin American artists. Having attended the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Caracas, where she audited lectures lead by Alejandro Otero, Gramcko persisted in her use of traditional mediums at a time of great experimentation throughout the 1950s.

In describing works from this period, Gramcko noted, “I do not consider [these paintings] abstract, they are very much emotive and they contain several pockets of internal meaning. I consider myself an expressive painter.” [1] The present painting, No. 10, is comprised of a simplified, chromatic pallet. A seemingly structured and formalized composition, it is not an investigation of intertwining, geometric shapes but a suggestion of something more organic and natural: shells, bones, rocks. Included in the fifth edition of the prestigious Bienal de São Paulo in 1959, Gramcko’s No. 10 marks a radical breakthrough in the development 💯of abstraction in Latin America. 

[1] Juan Carlos López Quintero, “Elsa Gramcko: Una Alquimista de N🌳uestro Tiempo,” 1997, Caracas, (exhibition catalogue), p. 18