Robert Heinecken

a group of 28 plates from the series Lessons in Posing Subjects, comprising a total of 212 unique Polaroid SX-70 prints mounted to 28 sheets of BFK Rives deckle-edged paper, each signed, dated, and editioned '3/10' in pencil and with letterpress series title and text on the mount, 1981-82, each no. 3 from the edition of 10 (28)

These photographs are in generally excellent condition. The mounts are titled as follows: Lessons in Posing Subjects: One Hand/Hip - Thumb Axis Variant (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: One Fist/Hip Variant (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #12 (One Hand/Hip) (8 SX-70 prints) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #10 (Both Hands/Hips/Thumbs) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Girls/Standard Poses (10 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Maintaining Facial Expressions (Female, Brunet) (5 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Differentiation By Facial Characteristics (5 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Lingerie (Flowers) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Lingerie (Erogenous Zones) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Maintaining Facial Expressions (Female, Blond) (5 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Simulated Animal Skin Garments (10 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #11 (Two Fists/Hips) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: (Pocket Errors) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Look-A-Likes: This plate is missing one Polaroid and is annotated in ink, 'Pending a court decision on a suit filed by B.B., we are deferring the reproduction of this subject.' (4 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Identical Garments (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Hair Style Transformation (10 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #6 (Arms Folded) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: (Hand/Hip Errors) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #2 (Head/Hand) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #3 (Hand/Hair) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: (Fist Errors) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons In Posing Subjects/Maintaining Facial Expressions (Male) (5 SX-70 prints) Lessons In Posing Subjects/(Beds) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Eye-Mouth Projection (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects/Distancing (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #1 (Hands/Neck/Head) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons in Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #9 (Both Hands/Hips) (8 SX-70 prints) Lessons In Posing Subjects: Standard Pose #4 (Fingers/Neck)
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.

The Lessons in Posing Subjects series is Robert Heinecken's examination of the language and imagery of presentation as derived from a variety of contexts, among them sociology, psychology, pornography, and the commercial world of advertising.  Using SX-70s of the uncannily repetitive mass-media images of men, women, and children, as well as specific poses and clothing, Heinecken creates a trenchant comment on the steady and homogenous diet force-fed to America's consumer culture. 

Luke Batten, Director of the Robert Heinecken Trust, has observed that Heinecken was inspired in part by Erving Goffman's landmark study, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959).  Heinecken was fascinated by the sometimes surprising similarities in language used by Goffman, a sociologist, and the language of other disciplines, among them advertising and pornography.  Heinecken's own text accompanying Lessons morphs from the quasi-scientific to the prurient, from the dry language of an instructional photo manual to the glib language of ad copy.  Throughout, the language is undermined or enhanced by his sophisticated tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. 

Heinecken produced 41 different plates for the Lessons in Posing Subjects series.  A complete list of the titles of the 28 plates offered here is available on sothebys.com.