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Raymond Pettibon — No Title (There was no...)
Raymond Pettibon

No Title (There was no...)

1998

This dynamic composition features a solitary figure plummeting downward through a turbulent field of gestural blue and white brushstrokes that evoke both water and atmospheric chaos. The artist employs rapid, directional marks to create a sense of violent motion and struggle, contrasting the figure's dark silhouette against the luminous, energetic background. Handwritten text at the top reads 'There was no good running, so obstructed way the path, so guard were the feet,' suggesting themes of entrapment and futility. The work combines ink and watercolor to achieve a raw, expressionistic quality that captures psychological distress through abstraction and figuration. Created in 1998, this piece exemplifies the artist's characteristic fusion of personal narrative with gestural abstraction.

Medium
ink and watercolor on paper
Overall

Notes

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

🔨 Auction Lot

Contemporary Day Auction

May 15, 2026

Estimate: $250,000$350,000

For Sale

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Spotted works by Raymond Pettibon

About this work

Raymond Pettibon, No Title (There was no...), 1998

This dynamic composition features a solitary figure plummeting downward through a turbulent field of gestural blue and white brushstrokes that evoke both water and atmospheric chaos. The artist employs rapid, directional marks to create a sense of violent motion and struggle, contrasting the figure's dark silhouette against the luminous, energetic background. Handwritten text at the top reads 'There was no good running, so obstructed way the path, so guard were the feet,' suggesting themes of entrapment and futility. The work combines ink and watercolor to achieve a raw, expressionistic quality that captures psychological distress through abstraction and figuration. Created in 1998, this piece exemplifies the artist's characteristic fusion of personal narrative with gestural abstraction.

Medium
ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions
overall: 56.8 x 38.1 cm
Year
1998
Seen at
Sotheby's, New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris

Related themes

Emotional Turbulence, Struggle And Motion, Modernist Figuration, Handwritten Inscription, 1990s Art, Figurative Drawing, Abstract Expressionism, Psychological Expression, Gestural Abstraction, Paper Works, Watercolor And Ink, Blue And White, Narrative Text, Contemporary Drawing, Ink Painting

More works by Raymond Pettibon

Collected by

Alex Capecelatro