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Alice Baber (1928-1982) Crossing Winds, 1974
Details
Signed ‘Baber’ (lower right); signed, titled and dated ‘Alice Baber Crossing Winds, 1974’ (on the reverse of the canvas).
Sizes:
Artwork: 83 × 86 cm | 32.7 × 33.9 in
Crossing Winds, executed in 1974, is a radiant example of Alice Baber’s mastery of light, color, and fluid abstraction. Known for her unique “staining” technique, Baber allows translucent layers of pigment to overlap, creating a sense of ethereal depth and rhythmic movement across the canvas.
In this work, the circular forms—a hallmark of her mature style—appear to float and intersect, suggesting a dynamic, celestial interplay of light and atmosphere that lives up to the evocative title.
Baber’s compositions are often described as celebrations of color, and Crossing Winds is no exception. The orchestration of cool blues and greens, punctuated by warm notes of yellow and coral, evokes a sense of airy turbulence and calm simultaneously.
By eschewing rigid structural lines in favor of pulsing, overlapping orbs, Baber invites the viewer into a meditative experience, where the boundaries between light and form dissolve, reflecting her lifelong quest to capture the pure energy of the visible world.
Condition Report
Overall good condition. Please contact us to request a detailed Condition Report.
Authenticity & Buyer Information
This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification and is covered by our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale. The guarantee concerns authorship; it does not extend to provenance, dating, condition or value, which are described to the best of our knowledge.
Buyers should review the catalogue carefully and raise any questions before bidding; additional information is not ordinarily provided after the auction.
5-Year Authenticity Guarantee
Five years on authorship for works catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification (Section 4 of our Conditions of Sale); headings such as “Attributed to” or “Circle of” are sold as described.
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Questions about this lot
How does the estimate compare with the artist’s recent auction results?
The estimate of €12,000–€18,000 is our opinion of the range this work should reach; the starting price of €8,000 is the lowest bid we accept. We have not published comparable results for this lot; ask us before the sale and we will send the results we based the estimate on.
What will this lot cost in total?
Bidding on this site, the buyer’s premium is 25%, Spanish IVA included, and there is no VAT on the hammer price and no card fee: at the starting price of €8,000 the total is €10,000; at the low estimate of €12,000 the total is €15,000; at the high estimate of €18,000 the total is €22,500.
Through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Drouot or Bidspirit the premium is 30%, so the same hammer of €18,000 costs €23,400 there. Shipping and insurance are quoted separately; the estimator on this page gives the figure for your country. Buyers outside the EU pay no Spanish tax on the lot; the destination’s import rules apply (United States: original paintings and drawings enter duty-free; United Kingdom: 5% import VAT on art). Card payments are accepted up to €10,000; larger amounts by bank transfer.
Is the attribution covered by the Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee?
Yes. This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification, so it carries our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale: if the authorship proves materially incorrect, you may return the work within five years for a refund of the purchase price. The guarantee concerns authorship; provenance, dating, condition and value are described to the best of our knowledge and are not guaranteed.
Can I see the condition report, more photographs or the work itself?
A condition report with ultraviolet photographs is prepared on request, normally within two working days; the condition summary on this page is examined in-house and is not a conservator’s report. Further photographs of any detail, the reverse or the frame are sent on request. The work can be examined in our Barcelona showroom by appointment before the sale, and you are welcome to send your own conservator or specialist.
Alice Baber
Alice Baber was an influential American abstract expressionist painter known for her vibrant use of color and mastery of light. Born in Illinois, she studied at Indiana University and travelled extensively in Europe and Latin America, developing a unique artistic style defined by luminous layers of thin oil paint and characteristic circular, luminous forms. Her work celebrated color as the primary subject, creating compositions that seemed to radiate energy and optical movement.
Throughout her career, Baber exhibited widely in major international galleries and museums, and she was also a passionate curator and champion of women in the arts. Today, her paintings are held in prestigious public and private collections around the world, continuing to gain recognition for their profound contribution to post-war abstraction and her pioneering artistic vision.
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