Tom Wesselmann

Wesselmann Studio, New York
Imago Galleries, Palm Desert
Sale: Phillips de Pury & Co., London, Contemporary Art, 13 October 2007, Lot 246
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

New York, Sidney Janis Gallery, Recent Work by Tom Wesselmann, 1982
Palm Desert, Imago Gallery, Tom Wesselmann, 2007

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Upon close inspection, there are fine tension cracks to the flesh tone on the right extreme edge and extremely minor wear to the top and bottom right corners. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

Tom Wesselmann's Barbara and Baby is an unusually tender and elegant example of the artist's shaped canvas series. Depicting mother and child, Wesselmann here dispenses with the highly sexualized nudes and the clutter of mass produced items that often fill his canvases, and instead isolates the figures, creating a work of quiet and caring meditation.

An artist who continually reworked the traditional standards and classic themes from art history and obsessively reinvigorated them through his own pictorial lexicon, in Barbara and Baby we see Wesslemann again turning to his art historical predecessors. The conflation of perhaps two of classical art history's most iconic themes are here explored; the Virgin Mary and Child with the more sensual yet deeply maternal reclining Venus with her Putti attendants. By reconfiguring these as a single artwork, Wesselmann presents the female figure as both the object of his affections as well as a modern day maternal idol.