Jim Hodges

CRG Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in February 2002

This work is in very good, sound and working condition. All the sockets and light bulbs are in good working order. There is a faint 2 inch scuff located along the bottom right edge of the left panel. Otherwise, there are no apparent condition problems with this 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.
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.

Trained as a painter but known more for his ability to translate humble material into poetic visual language, Jim Hodges is at his finest when imbuing the quotidian with metaphor. "He typically employs ordinary materials to create elaborate constructions, all of which invite the viewer to reflect and see beyond the obvious. More often than not, his pieces have an elegance to them that belies their raw ingredients." (Bridget Moriarity, "You Will See These Things" at the Aspen Museum of Art, Modern Painters, September 2009).

Between Them is the result of such alchemy. Typical wood and metal panels are adorned with a grid of ceramic sockets and light bulbs, and the matching, wall-mounted squares glow a sort of cartoonish, burlesque pink. Various in color, direction, and candescence, the bulbs illuminate "the preciousness of human labour, the beauty of banal things and the serendipity of daily life..." (Charles LaBelle, "Jim Hodges," Frieze, Sept. 2000). Often whimsically colored and fey in spirit, other works in Hodges's oeuvre are constructed from similarly common materials, such as silk, plastic, and wire. The frontal orientation of Between Them would be mirrored only three years later in Don't Be Afraid, Hodges's massive, vinyl hanging in the permanent collection of the Hirschhorn Musuem and Sculpture Garden. Simple but strange, unassuming but alluring, the present work epitomizes Hodges's eye for enchantment and his Midas-like ability to conjure delight of daily refuse.