Homage to the square: Autumn echo
1966

• Josef ALBERS

The frame on Homage to the square: Autumn echo, is contemporary with the painting, possibly made by the artist. It is formed from stainless steel edging, flat at the side with a half-round (rolled) leading edge. The section is machine-formed from thin sheet and has been mitred and fixed together at the corners to form a solid, square structure. The rounded edge becomes the rebate of the frame. The frame is fitted with timber strips on the inner surface to create a firm fit for the painting, which is painted on the textured side of a hardboard sheet. The painting is secured in the frame with a wooden strainer at the reverse, to which the frame is attached with three stainless steel slotted, oval head, countersunk screws to each side.
Stainless steel edging like this was used on the edges of laminate topped tables and work benches in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

The mounting and framing of his paintings was extremely important to Albers. He framed his earlier works himself, in painted wooden frames, mounting them with intricately fitted wooden strips so as to fit the panels securely into the rabbet of the frame. At one time, Albers built the wooden frames himself, sometimes in combination with narrow metal strips. He later (mid-1950’s) chose a minimal metal strip frame with a wooden strainer for all his paintings. Josef Albers: His paintings, their materials, technique, and treatment. Patricia Sherwin Garland. JAIC 1983, volume 22, number 2, Article 2 (pp 62 to 67).

The painting was cleaned and retouched in 2016/2017.

stainless steel edging section, stainless steel slotted, oval head, countersunk screws, timber

good original condition