RETNA (b. 1979) Antoninus, 2011 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 108 inches (182.9 x 274.3 cm) Signed, titled and dated on the reverse: RETNA / Antonius / 2011 PROVENANCE: Private collection, Los Angeles. RETNA emerged from the Los Angeles graffiti scene in the 1990s and has developed one of the most recognizable visual languages in contemporary street art. Drawing on historical scripts and calligraphy he brings these influences together in a distinctive alphabet of his own creation. Its elongated forms and repeated strokes invite us to approach writing through its shape and rhythm before considering what it might say. In Antonius from 2011 black and white letterforms sweep across a mottled gray ground. Here their layered arrangement recalls the walls of a city where names and messages accumulate over time. New marks cover older ones without entirely erasing them. The weathered appearance of the ground strengthens this association and gives the crisp lettering the appearance of a recent inscription on an older surface. Long diagonal strokes intersect with rounded symbols as successive rows of text overlap and partially disappear. Some marks retain a sharp graphic clarity. Others seem to dissolve into the layers beneath them. The composition invites the eye to follow its lettering even as each passage becomes obscured by another. At six by nine feet the work retains the expansive presence of a mural while rewarding close attention to its individual marks. It is one of the most compelling paintings by the artist to come to market in recent memory. Viewed from across a room the overlapping script reads as a single abstract field. Closer inspection reveals individual characters emerging from and disappearing beneath successive layers of paint. The work brings the precision of RETNA's lettering together with the energy of his public murals. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Private collection, Los Angeles.

Unlined. Artwork exhibits intentional surface irregularities.
Under UV: no apparent inpainting.