The ‘pure white’ blank art canvas is expected to sell for over $1.5 million

This is a whole new meaning to “drawing a blank”.

A barren white canvas worth more than $1.5 million will be auctioned in Germany this week.

The 1970 work by American minimalist painter Robert Ryman – titled “General 52″ x 52″,” a nod to its size – will be snapped up by art enthusiasts at Berlin auction house Ketterer in December. 6 and 7.

The artwork appears to be blank, but the white canvas with a slightly darker white frame is actually painted using white enamel and enamel paints, commonly used to paint metal.

Using these types of paint on a cotton canvas resulted in a piece so delicate that it could not travel to be seen before the sale.

“The material is very sensitive and the smallest marks on the perfect surface would immediately reduce the value of the work significantly,” auction house Ketterer Kunst said in a statement, describing the painting as “in very good condition.” .

“That’s why we’re not sending him on a trip.”

Ryman, who died in 2019 at the age of 88, was known for his experimental work, which was mostly colorless and white.

He had no formal art training, but instead was a jazz pianist who began painting as a hobby after becoming a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

While his sterile works have sparked debate within the art community, some of his works have sold for millions.

“White is not always white. The white color makes the light, movement and texture of the material visible,” explained Simone Wichmann, the auction house’s expert.

“The viewer is challenged and becomes the creator of art”.

This isn’t the first piece of curious creativity to spark conversation in recent weeks.

Just last month, Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork of a banana duct taped to a wall, titled Comedian, sold for $6.2 million at auction – and was promptly eaten by the crypto entrepreneur who bought it – by sparked controversy, especially because the fruit stand vendor earned only pennies for his contribution.

“Some people might consider this work the ‘Fountain’ of Duchamp of the 21st century,” art consultant Ralph DeLuca previously told The Post, referring to the urinal that sold at auction at Sotheby’s for $1.7 million in 1999.

“How can anyone really call it overrated?”