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Mark Tansey — Study for Forward Retreat
Mark Tansey

Study for Forward Retreat

1986

This oil study presents an abstracted composition dominated by warm terracotta and rust tones. The work features gestural, intertwining forms that suggest movement and struggle, rendered in varying intensities of red and orange pigment. A landscape or atmospheric element appears in the upper portion, while the lower section contains more densely layered, dynamic marks. The composition is characterized by its sketchy, exploratory quality, with translucent washes of color creating depth across the cream colored support.

Medium
oil and graphite on linen
Overall

Notes

Contemporary Day Auction, Sotheby's, sale on 2026-05-15.

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Day Auction

May 15, 2026

Estimate: $400,000$600,000

For Sale

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About this work

Mark Tansey, Study for Forward Retreat, 1986

This oil study presents an abstracted composition dominated by warm terracotta and rust tones. The work features gestural, intertwining forms that suggest movement and struggle, rendered in varying intensities of red and orange pigment. A landscape or atmospheric element appears in the upper portion, while the lower section contains more densely layered, dynamic marks. The composition is characterized by its sketchy, exploratory quality, with translucent washes of color creating depth across the cream colored support.

Medium
oil and graphite on linen
Dimensions
overall: 61 x 76.2 cm
Year
1986
Seen at
Sotheby's, New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris

Related themes

Mixed Tonalities, Oil Study, Layered Composition, Red Tonalities, Gestural Mark Making, Conceptual Art, Movement And Energy, Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, Compositional Study, Expressionist Technique, Contemporary Art, Modern Painting, Figure Ground, Painterly Abstraction

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