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Lot Essay
‘The drawings in Biro are concentrates of time, they convey to me a physical impression of extended, immense time’ –Alighiero Boetti
Held in the same collection since 1982 when it was acquired directly from the artist, Alighiero Boetti’s Le parole che uccidono (The Words That Kill) is an unknowable proclamation in black biro ink. Along the top edge Boetti has spelled out ‘La parole che uccidono’ in all-capital white letters, while bands of black striations entirely fill the rest of drawing. Boetti selected the biro because of its supposed
infallibility: ‘I never rejected a ballpoint pen because there is no possibility of making a mistake, there is only one background
painting to do, and the more time you take, the more beautiful the work is’ (A. Boetti in conversation with D. de Dominicis, ‘Alighiero e Boetti – Cesare Pietroisuti’, Arca, exh. cat., Castello di Volpaia, Chianti, 1989, n. p.). Indeed, in the present work the staccato, thin lines present chromatic evidence of the mark-making that was often carried out by the artist’s assistants; the work, as such, is an outward reach from Boetti towards the world. Boetti’s practice is underpinned by a deep contemplation of language both as sign and symbol, a thematic which connects his work with that of Marcel Duchamp. While both shared a love of verbal puns and games, Boetti favoured ‘cryptic tautological formulations with metaphysical import’ (L. Cooke, ‘Boetti’s Game Plan’, Boetti’s Game Plan, exh. cat., Tate Gallery, London, p. 21). Unlike many of his other biro works, Le Parole che uccidono has no commas to suggest an embellished reading. Furthermore, Boetti’s titles only ever obliquely indicate his intentions, and while he was interested in the transitory qualities of time, Le Parole che uccidono’s primary interrogation is how meaning is made and the related construction of language; the present work proffers a philosophical debate. Le Parole che uccidono monochromatic composition is inherently enigmatic, a proposition for contemplation in black and white.
Held in the same collection since 1982 when it was acquired directly from the artist, Alighiero Boetti’s Le parole che uccidono (The Words That Kill) is an unknowable proclamation in black biro ink. Along the top edge Boetti has spelled out ‘La parole che uccidono’ in all-capital white letters, while bands of black striations entirely fill the rest of drawing. Boetti selected the biro because of its supposed
infallibility: ‘I never rejected a ballpoint pen because there is no possibility of making a mistake, there is only one background
painting to do, and the more time you take, the more beautiful the work is’ (A. Boetti in conversation with D. de Dominicis, ‘Alighiero e Boetti – Cesare Pietroisuti’, Arca, exh. cat., Castello di Volpaia, Chianti, 1989, n. p.). Indeed, in the present work the staccato, thin lines present chromatic evidence of the mark-making that was often carried out by the artist’s assistants; the work, as such, is an outward reach from Boetti towards the world. Boetti’s practice is underpinned by a deep contemplation of language both as sign and symbol, a thematic which connects his work with that of Marcel Duchamp. While both shared a love of verbal puns and games, Boetti favoured ‘cryptic tautological formulations with metaphysical import’ (L. Cooke, ‘Boetti’s Game Plan’, Boetti’s Game Plan, exh. cat., Tate Gallery, London, p. 21). Unlike many of his other biro works, Le Parole che uccidono has no commas to suggest an embellished reading. Furthermore, Boetti’s titles only ever obliquely indicate his intentions, and while he was interested in the transitory qualities of time, Le Parole che uccidono’s primary interrogation is how meaning is made and the related construction of language; the present work proffers a philosophical debate. Le Parole che uccidono monochromatic composition is inherently enigmatic, a proposition for contemplation in black and white.