Large Norman Liebman Mixed Media Painting With X-Ray Film, "Song of Sacrifice" – 64" X 66"

Details

Description

Make a commanding statement with this monumental masterpiece by acclaimed Postwar & Contemporary American artist Norman Liebman (1927–2020). Titled Song … Read more Make a commanding statement with this monumental masterpiece by acclaimed Postwar & Contemporary American artist Norman Liebman (1927–2020). Titled Song of Sacrifice (1891/1991), this museum-scale, 64" x 66" work perfectly captures the raw energy and intellectual depth of Late 20th-Century Abstract Expressionism.

Executed with powerful, gestural brushwork, the canvas features a complex dance of deep indigo blue, charcoal black, and stark white tones. Most remarkably, this piece is a complex mixed-media composition incorporating embedded x-ray film beneath the heavy, fluid layers of paint, adding an incredible, haunting dimension of physical depth and texture.

Provenance & The Conceptual Reverse

This piece features exceptional provenance, noted as a gift directly from the artist and the prestigious Arregui Gallery.

What makes this artwork truly extraordinary is the intimate glimpse into the artist's mindset written on the reverse side of the canvas. Hand-inscribed in black marker by Liebman himself, the reverse features a dedication to Friedrich von Matthisson’s 1790 poem "Opferlied" (Song of Sacrifice)—a text famously set to music by Ludwig van Beethoven. Liebman transcribed Beethoven's own favorite late-life motto onto the canvas: "o Zeus, Das Schöne zu dem Guten" ("O Zeus, [grant me] the beautiful alongside the good"). This powerful historical connection bridges the visual intensity of modern abstraction with classical European literature and music.

Condition & Display

Signature: Hand-signed and dated "Liebman '90" in the lower-right corner of the canvas front, with a formal gallery label detailing its 1991 exhibition registration on the reverse.
Condition: Excellent vintage condition. The canvas is tight, the paint and embedded x-ray media are perfectly stable with beautiful texture, and the wood frame is structurally sound with very minimal age-appropriate wear.
Framing: Professionally housed in a clean, low-profile natural wood gallery frame that beautifully complements the organic tones of the canvas.

About the Artist

Norman Liebman was a prolific American painter recognized for his emotive abstract landscapes and intense, gestural mixed-media works. His paintings are heavily sought after by collectors who appreciate the aggressive, intellectual energy of the mid-to-late 20th-century American avant-garde. See less