- 321
Jason Rhoades
Estimate
180,000 - 250,000 USD
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Description
- Jason Rhoades
- One-Wheel Waggon-Wheel Chandelier One-Wheel Waggon-Wheel Chandelier One (Baby Zipper, Deep Sea, Wound Sister)
wheel, acrylic glass, cables, neon lights, fishing line, polystyrene, hot glue and carpet
- dimensions variable
- Executed in 2004, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed and dated L.A., CA 1/5/05.
Provenance
Hauser & Wirth, London
Acquired by the present owner from the above
Condition
This work is in very good and working condition overall. There are raised lines of glass around some of the tubing where it appears the pieces were melded together, presumably inherent to the artist's working method. The neon tubing exhibits a few scattered scuff marks visible when the work is turned off. There is light evidence of wear to the elastics.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The life and art of Jason Rhoades is the classic story of the tragic American icon. Cut short at the height of his career, Rhoades had created a new language of expression at once vulgar and sophisticated, passionate and subtle, yet distinctly American throughout. Like his predecessors such as Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Steven Parrino the artist illuminated the art world with a bright and distinct vision, only to flicker out all too suddenly.
Born in California, Rhoades studied art on both coasts, at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine and at the University of California, Los Angeles. At the latter, the artist worked under Paul McCarthy where he mastered his skill as a clever and ironic interpreter of the American personae engaged in a dialogue with itself and the rest of the world. In works such as Swedish Erotica and Fiero Parts, 1994 and Cherry Makita – Honest Engine Work, 1993, the artist used media such as a Pontiac Fiero, Mikita power drills and King Tut's Tomb to explore conceptions of American masculinity and confront themes of sexuality and mortality.
In the present work, neon signs and wires descend from a wagon wheel topped by plastic vegetables. This modified "chandelier," which, by its title, would seem to describe an elegant light fixture, becomes quite subversive in the hands of Rhoades. Indeed, rather than simple sources of light, the neon signs articulate various colloquial terms for female genitalia. Additionally, the plastic-vegetable topped wagon wheel that forms the underlying structure, evokes the farms that formed the backbone of the United States and the covered wagons that drove Westward expansion (although ironically spelled "waggon" in the British-English style). By corrupting the high-class concept of the chandelier with overt references to sexuality and classic blue-blood American themes, Rhoades suggests new standards for class and culture in a globalized world. Though perhaps not as refined as its namesake, the artist's source of light is authentic and relevant, and undeniably, American.
Born in California, Rhoades studied art on both coasts, at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine and at the University of California, Los Angeles. At the latter, the artist worked under Paul McCarthy where he mastered his skill as a clever and ironic interpreter of the American personae engaged in a dialogue with itself and the rest of the world. In works such as Swedish Erotica and Fiero Parts, 1994 and Cherry Makita – Honest Engine Work, 1993, the artist used media such as a Pontiac Fiero, Mikita power drills and King Tut's Tomb to explore conceptions of American masculinity and confront themes of sexuality and mortality.
In the present work, neon signs and wires descend from a wagon wheel topped by plastic vegetables. This modified "chandelier," which, by its title, would seem to describe an elegant light fixture, becomes quite subversive in the hands of Rhoades. Indeed, rather than simple sources of light, the neon signs articulate various colloquial terms for female genitalia. Additionally, the plastic-vegetable topped wagon wheel that forms the underlying structure, evokes the farms that formed the backbone of the United States and the covered wagons that drove Westward expansion (although ironically spelled "waggon" in the British-English style). By corrupting the high-class concept of the chandelier with overt references to sexuality and classic blue-blood American themes, Rhoades suggests new standards for class and culture in a globalized world. Though perhaps not as refined as its namesake, the artist's source of light is authentic and relevant, and undeniably, American.