OPALKA 1965/1-∞, Detail: 1303228-1306193

A leading conceptual artist, Opalka devoted most of his life to a single project, launched in 1965, entitled "1-[infinity symbol]" (one to infinity). Beginning with the number one in the upper left corner of a black canvas, he painted small consecutive numbers in white pigment across the surface covering it from edge to edge in thin horizontal rows. He continued the numerical series on subsequent canvases, all of the same size. Each painting is considered a “detail” of the whole project, which amounts to a visualization of the passage of time. When travelling, Opalka would keep working on the series by producing “drawings” such as the present ones, which he called "Cartes de voyage."