Dan Colen

Gagosian Gallery, New York
Private Collection
Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, March 8, 2012, lot 6
Private Collection, New York

This work is in good condition overall. There is some slight discoloration to the surface overall, as well as a general hardening and change in texture which is inherent to the medium and the artist's working method. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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“When I first started, the canvases were very sparse…It slowly developed into a more elaborate and involved process. I started adding a lot more gum to each canvas; I would put pieces down, pick them up again, move ’em around, stretch them out, mush ’em together, and mix flavors to create new colors."
Dan Colen

Composed of chewed gum on canvas, The Son of a White Man (Air Force Pilot/Plantation Owner), 2010, perfectly discerns Dan Colen’s clever playfulness and the unabashed rebellious nature of his artistic practice. Colen presents the subject of his work as the medium, exploring the conventional boundaries of painting by using chewing gum as his material of choice.

The broad strokes of gum mark an evolution in Colen's process. Originally he recruited friends and studio assistants to chew everything from Big Red to Orbit to Juicy Fruit, individually applying each piece of chewed gum to the canvas. This method was revised by boiling the gum, resulting in an intensified level of freedom and fluidity of the material.  

Colen’s work resonates with the artistic lineage of New York painters; Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Neo-Expressionism. Coating and layering the canvas with wads and smears of chewing gum, Colen conflates high and low, investigating his art historical heritage, adolescence, delinquency and the clash of subcultures.

Jackson Pollock, Enchanted Forest, 1947
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Peggy Guggenheim Collection / Scala / Art Resource, NY
© 2015 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York