Lot 30
William W. Fuller (American, b. 1948). "Storm, Denver, Colorado" gelatin silver print, 1984. Signed on the lower right beneath photo. A striking photograph of the Denver skyline - with a clear shot of the Wells Fargo Center also known as the "Cash Register Building" for its unmistakable resemblance to an antique cash register - against a dramatic stormy sky by American photographer William W. Fuller. Fuller has been using his large format camera to shoot black and white photographs of American architecture for over 40 years. Inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's quote, "Architecture is frozen music," Fuller has always had an eye for the formalist qualities of American urban architecture, exploring form, line, negative space, shape, details, as well as contrasting light and shadow, this modernist has aimed to create sharp, elegant compositions rather than documentary portrayals of these landmarks. Size of photo: 10.375" L x 13.375" W (26.4 cm x 34 cm) Size of matte: 16.125" L x 20.125" W (41 cm x 51.1 cm)
At 698 feet tall, the Wells Fargo Center is Denver's third tallest building. Built in 1983, the Cash Register Building is so large that it has its own zip code - 80274! The distinct curvature of this skyscraper's upper floors makes it one of the most immediately recognizable landmarks in the Mile High City.
This photograph was in the collection of pioneering patron of the arts, Ginny Williams. Sotheby's hosted a series of auctions featuring art and photography in the Ginny Williams Collection in June and July of 2020. Their press release began as follows, "Born in rural Virginia in 1927, Ginny moved to Denver, Colorado in the late 1950s with her husband, Carl Williams. An avid photographer herself, who studied with Austrian-American photojournalist and photographer Ernst Haas, her collecting journey began with classical figurative photography. Her passion and keen eye eventually prompted her to open her namesake gallery in Denver in the 1980s. While her passion for photography never waned, remaining a primary focus of both her gallery and private collection, her voracious curiosity quickly widened her curatorial focus. Over time, Ginny became increasingly courageous and experimental in her selections, venturing into Abstract Expressionism and Contemporary Art and following her artists themselves through gallery shows and museum exhibitions. As the years passed, Ginny became as much of a trailblazer as the artists she collected."
Provenance: ex-private Idledale, Colorado, USA collection; ex-Ginny Williams collection of Denver, Colorado
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#171301
- Condition: Photo is in excellent condition. Signed in pencil by the artist on lower right beneath image. Photo is laid in a custom matte. Ginny Williams Collection label is on the verso. Title, date, and artist's name and address are handwritten on the verso.
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