- 54
Yto Barrada
Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Yto Barrada
- Play (Lyautey Unit Blocks)
- wooden painted blocks, in 30 parts
- overall: 240 by 80 by 80cm.; 94½ by 31½ by 31½in.
- Executed in 2010, this work is from an edition of 5, plus 2 artist's proof.
Provenance
Galerie Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg
Private Collection, Spain (acquired directly from the above in 2011)
Private Collection, Jordan
Private Collection, Spain (acquired directly from the above in 2011)
Private Collection, Jordan
Exhibited
Beirut, Sfeir–Semler Gallery, Play, April - July 2010
Rome, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (MACRO), Yto Barrada: Riffs, September – November 2012 (another edition exhibited)
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Permanent Collection, 2016 (another edition exhibited)
Rome, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (MACRO), Yto Barrada: Riffs, September – November 2012 (another edition exhibited)
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Permanent Collection, 2016 (another edition exhibited)
Condition
Condition: This work is in good condition. There are visible and some only visible under close inspection scuff and rubbing marks throughout due to the way the work is installed and exhibited originally and due to the medium chosen by the artist. There is no restoration apparent when viewed under the UV light.
Colour: The catalogue illustration is very accurate; however, the overall tonality is a bit less right and more subdued with deeper tonalities in the original work.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
In the present lot, the painted wood units assembled spell LYAUTEY. The first Resident General of French-occupied Morocco from 1912 to 1925, Marshal Hubert Lyautey oversaw large-scale urban development programs, as well as wide-ranging surveys of the country’s artistic practices and archaeological sites. In this period, he worked with French architect and urbanist Henri Prost (1874-1959) to direct the design and construction of colonial Rabat and Casablanca. French reliance on Moroccan expertise and labor was not generally acknowledged, while the new urban designs were intended to serve as experimental models for modern 20th century city-building in France and French colonies.
In this installation, Yto Barrada’s building blocks evoke a city skyline or urban aerial view. At the same time, her presentation of Lyautey’s modernization project in the guise of a children’s toy introduces a latent sense of destruction and disorder, and raises questions around the role of aesthetics and style in a colonial context.
In the 1960s, writer Paul Bowles abruptly dismissed Casablanca’s French-built Sacré Cour Cathedral (b. 1930-52), commenting: "The cathedral looks like something invented by a clever child using a set of expensive building blocks; it has no style whatsoever." In fact, Lyautey’s variant of the regionally popular "Arabisance" style applied in Casablanca emphasized the pared-down volumes and sharp contours of so-called Arab or Islamic art rather than the ornamental accents applied elsewhere to conjure a local flavor. The installation evokes this stylistic approach while relying on the typology of a conventional building block set.
In this installation, Yto Barrada’s building blocks evoke a city skyline or urban aerial view. At the same time, her presentation of Lyautey’s modernization project in the guise of a children’s toy introduces a latent sense of destruction and disorder, and raises questions around the role of aesthetics and style in a colonial context.
In the 1960s, writer Paul Bowles abruptly dismissed Casablanca’s French-built Sacré Cour Cathedral (b. 1930-52), commenting: "The cathedral looks like something invented by a clever child using a set of expensive building blocks; it has no style whatsoever." In fact, Lyautey’s variant of the regionally popular "Arabisance" style applied in Casablanca emphasized the pared-down volumes and sharp contours of so-called Arab or Islamic art rather than the ornamental accents applied elsewhere to conjure a local flavor. The installation evokes this stylistic approach while relying on the typology of a conventional building block set.