$5,700
Merce Cunningham (American, 1919-2009) Suite by Chance , Movement Chart Slow Phrases from III A-B-C-D-E and V C , 1952 Unsigned, identified on a label from Margarete Roeder Gallery, New York, on the frame backing and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Merce Cunningham. Ballpoint pen on paper, 7 3/8 x 6 7/8 in. (18.7 x 17.4 cm), framed. Condition: Not examined out of frame. N.B. Suite by Chance is a dance in four movements, with music by Christian Wolff (for magnetic tape) and costumes by Remy Charlip. It was first performed in a private studio in the winter of 1951. Its public premiere was at the Festival of Contemporary Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana in March 1953. In a description from the Margarete Roeder Gallery that accompanies the lot, the text explains that all elements of the dance were arrived at by chance manipulation of selected materials. Cunningham employed this method to encourage the maximum play of possibilities, beyond the ordinary range of the choreographer's imagination and memory. The drawing at hand is a chart indicating the entrances and exits from the third movement.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2013-09-20
