"Untitled" - Print and Publications from the Collection of Alvin Epstein

Untitled, ca. 1974 unsigned intaglio print on paper by the important French artist. 11.37 x 15.5 inches (29 x 40 cm.), tear to upper right corner, small tear to margin lower right, creasing, staining, toning, tape abrasions from former mounting to the reverse, else fine.  Accompanied by two publications on Soulages, one from Haim Chanin Fine Arts, New York (2005), bearing an inscription from the artist to Alvin Epstein, the other from Salles d'Expositions du Musée Fabre et Galerie Frédéric Bazille, Ville de Montpellier (1975).

Alvin Epstein (1925–2018) was a New York City-based actor and director, and a founding member of both the American Repertory Theatre and the Yale Repertory Theatre. In 1956, he made his Broadway debut in Orson Welles' production of King Lear, and later that year he was in the original Broadway cast of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

Soulages has said, "My instrument is not black but the light reflected from the black." Naming his own practice Outrenoir, (Beyond Black) the paintings he produces are known for their endless black depth, created by playing with the light reflected off of the texture of the paint. Knowing that he needed a new term to define the way that he was working, Soulages invented 'Outrenoir' to define his practice. Not having a translation into English, the closest meaning is 'beyond black.' (18368)

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