Lot 5
  • 5

Michael Landy, R.A.

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Michael Landy, R.A.
  • Gillian #3
  • pencil on paper
  • 70 by 49.5cm.; 27½ by 19½in.
  • Executed in 2008.

Provenance

Thomas Dane Gallery, London, where acquired by the present owner in January 2009

Condition

The sheet is sound and appears to be float mounted in all four corners. The upper and lower edges are deckled and the sheet undulates very slightly. Otherwise the work appears in excellent overall condition. Contained in a white box frame under glass; unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present 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."

Catalogue Note

'With the same intensity he destroyed his life, it is a logical progression to now use pencil to rebuild'.
Charles Asprey in conversation with Kirsty Wark, 'How Michael Landy made a day job out of drawing', The Tate Channel, 9th October 2008.

Following the systematic destruction of all his worldly possessions in his seminal Breakdown (2001), Landy went back to basics in 2008 and focussed on what remained of importance in his life: people. His 70 portraits, simply rendered in pencil on paper, are painstakingly detailed; they capture every wrinkle and blemish with almost scientific precision. The two full days spent in extremely close proximity with each of his subjects allowed Landy to build a relationship between himself and his model through the drawing, and in the case of his family members, to reconnect: 'it's the first time I've really looked at my sisters in years' (Landy in conversation with Rachel Campbell-Johnston, 'Michael Landy: the man who had nothing', The Times, October 7th 2008). The current work is an intimate sketch of Landy's long-term partner and fellow artist Gillian Wearing.