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White

In physics, white is the sum of all the colours. To the human eye, white appears to be the total absence of colour. Amongst artists, white and its many uses in art are continuously evolving and challenging those who would embrace them. Is white, then, a non-colour, or an enhancer of colours? Intangible or material? Absence or excess?

Since Antiquity, white has been appreciated for its symbolic value. In Ancient Greece, where they would paint their statues, it was a sign of incompletion, whereas the Romans believed it showed pomp and imperialist virtue. With the rise of Christianity, white was used in opposition to black in order to emphasise moral dichotomies: the pure, divine white against the darkness. In some cases, however, white was used to show sickness or death, most notably in the pallid representations of the skeletal, crucified Christ.

In the Renaissance white was used to sublimate faces and backgrounds. Da Vinci even based his sfumato technique on the soft transition from light into darkness. Throughout the history of painting, white was considered precious for its ability to reflect light. It attracts the gaze even when used in the tiniest quantities, and illuminates the subject, drawing out stunning contrasts as seen in the works of Rembrandt, or in Vermeer's famous Girl with the Pearl Earring.

With the rise of Impressionism, white was used as the brightest tone amongst shades of grey. While Manet produced canvases which were forerunners to monochromes, including The Reader, which was almost pure white, Monet delivered a stunning gradient of whites whilst recreating the snow at his home in Giverny. The first true white monochrome appeared with the arrival of Malevitch's White Square on a White Background. The artist said 'I have broken the blue boundary of colour limits, and come out into the white'.

 

Modernists were equally passionate about white and valued it incredibly highly. Miro in particular questioned the status of white on canvases. In his painting Woman, Bird and Star white is in parts boldly painted, but is also distinctive for its absence around the star. Picasso, on the other hand, explored white in conjunction with his famous coloured periods. Piero Manzoni became famous thanks to his 'achromatic' paintings, a series of canvases produced exclusively in shades of white. Moving into the 20th century, white became synonymous with minimalist abstraction. For artists like Kandinsky, white was a cosmic colour, associated with a spiritual search for the absolute, guiding the artists as he seek to express his emotions.  

 

Today, white remains an ever popular subject. Roman Opalka made his name creating a series of white numbers of a white background, while Daniel Arsham reinvents white walls in galleries by letting his artwork drip down onto them. White is a colour with multiple symbolic interpretations. The colour of divinity or humility; of purity and immaculate, of emptiness and absence, but always colour. If blue has Klein and red has Rothko, it appears that no artist has yet succeeded in fully mastering white – but maybe you'll find them in our selection!


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Sculpture, FUCHsy Grey, Orit Fuchs

FUCHsy Grey

Orit Fuchs

Sculpture - 30 x 14 x 14 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 5.5 x 5.5 inch

$950

Print, Death03648, Death NYC

Death03648

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death03127, Death NYC

Death03127

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death02612, Death NYC

Death02612

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Deathp212, Death NYC

Deathp212

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Deathq717, Death NYC

Deathq717

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death03639, Death NYC

Death03639

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Deathp643, Death NYC

Deathp643

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Design, Hope Girl Bat, Ske

Hope Girl Bat

Ske

Design - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Design - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Print, DeathMb643, Death NYC

DeathMb643

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathQ960, Death NYC

DeathQ960

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathF1204, Death NYC

DeathF1204

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death03730, Death NYC

Death03730

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathM102, Death NYC

DeathM102

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathG274, Death NYC

DeathG274

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death A525, Death NYC

Death A525

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Death L219, Death NYC

Death L219

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, Nyc 24, Death NYC

Nyc 24

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathM1727, Death NYC

DeathM1727

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, DeathM3862, Death NYC

DeathM3862

Death NYC

Print - 45 x 32 x 0.1 cm Print - 17.7 x 12.6 x 0 inch

$103

Print, 4 Cans Green, Death NYC

4 Cans Green

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$68

Print, 4 Soup cans, Death NYC

4 Soup cans

Death NYC

Print - 32 x 45 x 0.1 cm Print - 12.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch

$68

Sculpture, Equality, Emre

Equality

Emre

Sculpture - 70 x 60 x 40 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 23.6 x 15.7 inch

$20,806

Sculpture, Love withe colors, Spaco

Love withe colors

Spaco

Sculpture - 20 x 20 x 3 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch

$289

Sculpture, PlayBoy Bat&Art, Ske

PlayBoy Bat&Art

Ske

Sculpture - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Painting, Panda, Brian Nash

Panda

Brian Nash

Painting - 91.4 x 91.4 x 3.8 cm Painting - 36 x 36 x 1.5 inch

$2,450

Painting, Robby, Mr Popart

Robby

Mr Popart

Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$925

Painting, C'est mon Kiki, Mr Popart

C'est mon Kiki

Mr Popart

Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$925

Painting, Jim Morrison, Spaco

Jim Morrison

Spaco

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$139

Painting, Steve Mcqueen, Spaco

Steve Mcqueen

Spaco

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$139

Painting, JM Basquiat, Spaco

JM Basquiat

Spaco

Painting - 40 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

$324

Painting, Snoopy in love, Dr. Love

Snoopy in love

Dr. Love

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$104

Painting, Snoopy true love, Dr. Love

Snoopy true love

Dr. Love

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$104

Painting, Cat in love, Dr. Love

Cat in love

Dr. Love

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

$104

Print, The Princess, Batik

The Princess

Batik

Print - 50.8 x 76.2 x 0 cm Print - 20 x 30 x 0.01 inch

$1,063

Print, Kate Blonde, Batik

Kate Blonde

Batik

Print - 101 x 76 x 0.001 cm Print - 39.8 x 29.9 x 0 inch

$1,994

Sculpture, Dude with sign love, Emre

Dude with sign love

Emre

Sculpture - 125 x 45 x 45 cm Sculpture - 49.2 x 17.7 x 17.7 inch

$24,273

Painting, Oh bazaaar !, Cacou

Oh bazaaar !

Cacou

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$982

Painting, Storm black & grey, Jug

Storm black & grey

Jug

Painting - 89 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 35 x 51.2 x 1 inch

$1,098

Painting, Storm, Jug

Storm

Jug

Painting - 89 x 130 x 2.5 cm Painting - 35 x 51.2 x 1 inch

$1,098

Sculpture, Frida Kahlo, Fred Meurice

Frida Kahlo

Fred Meurice

Sculpture - 77 x 77 x 7 cm Sculpture - 30.3 x 30.3 x 2.8 inch

$4,855 $4,126

Painting, Vivid 161, Orit Fuchs

Vivid 161

Orit Fuchs

Painting - 120 x 90 cm Painting - 47.2 x 35.4 inch

$21,962

Painting, BB Lover, Flu

BB Lover

Flu

Painting - 80 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch

$1,849

Painting, Ablution, Ed Potapenkov

Ablution

Ed Potapenkov

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$2,774

Painting, Sky, Anatoly Varvarov

Sky

Anatoly Varvarov

Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$1,907

Painting, Panther, Jo Di Bona

Panther

Jo Di Bona

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$7,976

Design, Hope Chanel, Ske

Hope Chanel

Ske

Design - 75 x 6 x 6 cm Design - 29.5 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

$288

Painting, Flower Cat, BB.Queen

Flower Cat

BB.Queen

Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$289