Sarah Lucas

A gift from the artist

Yilmaz Dziewior, Sarah Lucas: Exhibitions and Catalogue Raisonné 1989-2005, Ostfildern-Ruit 2005, p. 150, illustrations of other examples from the series

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to convey fully the surface texture of the polyurethane apparent in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Throughout the sculpture there is some surface variation which is inherent to the artist's choice of media. There are a few spots of black media suspended within the polyurethane throughout, original to the casting process. Some light surface dust fibres are adhering in the recessed parts and around the joins of the sculpture.
"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."

Sotheby's is honoured to present a selection of nine works from the Estate of Angus Fairhurst (1966-2008). One of the original and most influential members of the Young British Artists or YBAs, Angus's art was characterised as much by its brilliant inventiveness of style and medium as its witty provocation and profound sensitivity to human nature. Thoughtful, lyrical and self effacing, his work was conceived with conceptual rigour and formalism, even when challenging the parameters of the contemporary art milieu in which he worked. He exhibited in the groundbreaking Damien Hirst-curated Freeze show of 1988, an exhibition which introduced the world to a generation of artists whose approach and ideas – provocative, controversial, inventive – would set the tone for contemporary art in Britain for the next two decades.

Born in Kent in 1966, Fairhurst studied at Canterbury College of Art before proceeding to Goldsmiths, where he formed close friendships with Sarah Lucas, Hirst and Gary Hume. Fairhurst was later to collaborate with Lucas on various projects, and for several years was her boyfriend. Since the seminal Freeze show, Fairhurst exhibited in most of the subsequent important exhibitions of his generation: Brilliant! New Art From London at the Walker Art Centre in Minneapolis in 1995, Some Went Mad, Some Ran Away at the Serpentine in 1994, Apocalypse at the Royal Academy in 1997, and more recently as part of the Serpentine's In the darkest hour there may be light: Works from Damien Hirst's Murderme Collection (2006) and at the Tate's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in 2004.