Sofa is Blind 1957

Mysterious, poetic, and visually arresting, this original lithograph from 1957 titled Sofa is Blind presents a haunting meditation on presence and absence. Executed in muted greys, blacks, and whites, the piece evokes a raw emotional atmosphere through its painterly textures and layered drips. At the center of the composition floats a lone white sofa — rendered with surprising clarity — amidst a weathered, storm-like abstract field.

Above and below this isolated piece of furniture, hand-scrawled text spells out the cryptic phrase “sofa is blind,” encouraging introspection and open interpretation. The imagery seems to evoke themes of stillness, forgotten comfort, or a surreal commentary on domestic life stripped of meaning or vision. It plays on the symbolic duality of the sofa — a fixture of leisure and familiarity — now ghostly and removed, drifting in a shadowy void.

The lithograph’s technique is notable for its expressiveness: washes of grey bleed into one another, creating an almost tactile surface that feels both painterly and timeworn. This erosion-like texture contrasts with the central sofa, which appears luminous and untouched, heightening its symbolic weight.

While the artist’s identity remains uncertain, the lithograph bears the hallmarks of mid-century European avant-garde printmaking — raw, experimental, and steeped in existential reflection. It is a powerful visual statement that balances minimalism with emotional intensity, and it stands as an evocative example of 1950s lithographic art that blurs the lines between the personal, the surreal, and the philosophical.

A rare and enigmatic piece, Sofa is Blind invites viewers to sit with its ambiguity — and perhaps find clarity within its silence.

Original Lithograph

Abstract

Charles Sorlier engraver

Good condition, dirt