From the Top (World Cup)

Curatorial note

*APC ART is proud to present “From the Top,” a beautifully conceived work by Australian contemporary artist Werner Bronkhorst, whose distinctive practice has quickly become recognizable for its extraordinary juxtaposition of heavily textured, almost sculptural painted environments with impossibly small human figures.* *“From the Top” captures football at perhaps its most anticipatory moment: the seconds immediately before play begins. Viewed from directly overhead, the pitch is reduced to alternating bands of deep forest and vibrant green, interrupted by the stark white geometry of the halfway line and center circle. Scattered across this enormous landscape are Bronkhorst’s signature miniature figures—players and referee positioned for kickoff, waiting for the opening whistle.* *The title operates as a clever double meaning. “From the Top” refers simultaneously to beginning again from the very start and to the elevated, almost omniscient perspective from which Bronkhorst asks us to observe the scene. From this height, football becomes something different. Individual players are transformed into tiny marks within a much larger composition, and the familiar pitch becomes an abstract landscape of color, texture, line and geometry.* *This tension between scale and perspective is central to Bronkhorst’s work. His original paintings are distinguished by extraordinary quantities of acrylic paint and acrylic gel, applied in broad, deeply dimensional passages across the canvas. Against these monumental fields of texture, Bronkhorst introduces extraordinarily small, meticulously rendered human figures. The effect is immediately recognizable: human activity appears almost impossibly delicate against an environment that physically overwhelms it.* *That contrast is particularly successful in “From the Top.” The alternating green bands initially read almost as pure abstraction—the ridges, brushstrokes and accumulated paint becoming a landscape unto themselves. Only upon closer inspection do the miniature footballers reveal themselves. Suddenly the abstraction becomes a pitch, the white circle becomes the center mark, and the entire composition snaps into perspective.* *There is an extraordinary amount of narrative contained within that simplicity. Nothing has happened yet. No goal has been scored, no mistake has been made and no outcome has been determined. Every possibility of the match exists simultaneously in this single frozen moment before the referee's whistle. Bronkhorst transforms anticipation itself into the subject of the work.* *The original “From the Top” was painted in acrylic and acrylic gel on canvas. This edition translates Bronkhorst’s composition into an exceptionally substantial archival format and is limited to only **48 examples worldwide**.* *The image measures **60 × 80 cm (approximately 23.6 × 31.5 inches)** and is produced as a **Giclée print on heavyweight 395gsm matte Canson Infinity PhotoArt ProCanvas using long-lasting Epson archival inks**. Each canvas is individually **hand signed by Werner Bronkhorst** and accompanied by its corresponding **Certificate of Authenticity**.* *Importantly, this example is offered completely finished and ready to hang. The canvas has been **hand-stretched over FSC-certified, finger-jointed New Zealand pine and float framed in FSC-certified Zebrano wood**. The completed framed work measures **63 × 83 cm (approximately 24.8 × 32.7 inches)**. The warm natural tone of the Zebrano frame provides an elegant counterpoint to the deep greens of the composition while allowing the physical character of the canvas to remain visible.* *Bronkhorst belongs to an exciting generation of contemporary artists who have successfully developed a visual language immediately identifiable as their own. His dramatic manipulation of scale allows familiar scenes—sporting events, swimming pools, beaches and other environments occupied by miniature figures—to become meditations on perspective and humanity's relationship to the spaces surrounding us.* *“From the Top” is an especially compelling example of that language. Football is among the world's most universally understood subjects, yet Bronkhorst strips the game of spectacle and reduces it to its fundamental geometry: a field, a ball, a handful of players and the moment everything begins. Seen from above, the players become almost insignificant in scale while simultaneously remaining the entire reason the landscape exists.* *With an edition of just **48**, a substantial 60 × 80 cm canvas format, hand signature, accompanying Certificate of Authenticity and its original museum-quality Zebrano float presentation, “From the Top” represents an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of Bronkhorst’s most visually engaging sporting compositions.* *At APC ART, we particularly appreciate works where the artist's identity is apparent before the name on the label is ever read. “From the Top” accomplishes precisely that. The monumental bands of textured color, miniature figures, unusual aerial perspective and understated narrative are unmistakably Werner Bronkhorst.* *The work is in hand and available for immediate shipment. It will be carefully protected and packaged completely plastic-free within an ultra-durable tri-wall carton designed specifically for safe transportation of the finished work.* *As with all works offered by APC ART, this example will be accompanied by a CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY, GUARANTEEING YOUR NEW WORK OF ART IN PERPETUITY; This certificate of authenticity has been issued direct from the Australia studio of Werner Bronkhorst.* **The certificate of authenticity is hand signed and numbered by the artist.** *Please feel free to browse our selection of over 1,100 works from more than 200 of the world's most influential contemporary artists.* *APC ART offers professional art advisory services backed by decades of experience within the international contemporary art market. From private acquisitions and museum-quality framing to complete collection management, we are proud to serve collectors throughout the United States and around the world.* *APC-ART.COM* *+1 (404) 457-4491* *— APC ART* Provenance Purchased direct from the studio of Werner Bronkhorst. Included with the work will be a certificate of authenticity hand signed and numbered by the artist.  Condition The work will arrive new in its original packaging as it did from the Australia studio of Werner Bronkhorst.

Specifications

Artist

Werner Bronkhorst

Title

From the Top (World Cup)

Edition

Unique work

Signature

Unsigned

Framing

Unframed

Presented by

APC Gallery

Where this work sits

Delivery

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