Walton Ford

Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Long Beach, California, University Art Museum, California State University, Avatars: The Watercolors of Walton Ford, January - March, 1999, p. 19, illustrated
Brunswick, Maine, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brutal Beauty: Paintings by Walton Ford, September - December 2000, p. 16, illustrated
Berlin, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum Fur Gegenwart; Vienna, Albertina Museum; Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Walton Ford, January - March 2011

Steven Katz, "Walton Ford: Tigers of Wrath, Horses of Instruction," News From Abrams, October 2002, p. 44, illustrated
Mary Haus, "Birds that Sing a Different Tune," Artnews, June 2004, illustrated on the cover
Robert Enright, "Misadventures Along the Nature Trail," Border Crossings, March 2006, illustrated
Bill Buford and Walton Ford, Pancha Tantra, Cologne, 2007, pp. 56, 58-59, illustrated 
Julia Voss, Kann man noch deutlicher falschliegen, Frankfurt, 2010, p. 2, illustrated

This work appears in excellent condition overall. The right and left edges of the sheet are deckled. All surfaces inconsistencies are inherent to the work and to the artist's working method. The sheet is hinged to the verso to the matte intermittently along the edges. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.

Born in Larchmont New York, Walton Ford first intended to be a filmmaker before shifting his storytelling talents to the medium of Art. Combining sharp social commentary with visions of antique flora and fauna, Ford creates exquisite compositions that satirize man's political, societal and environmental foibles. With obvious allusions to John James Audubon, the artist works meticulously to ensure the jewel-like surfaces of his watercolors vividly double as tours-de-force of the media as well as important testimonies to the ironies, hypocrisies and lessons to be learned from the past and present.  Consequently, few artists have been able to combine an instantly recognizable style, artistic integrity and critical honesty as well as Walton Ford.

The present work, Chalo, Chalo, Chalo!, exquisitely depicts a large Maribou stork, overlooking a camel-populated desert landscape while a group of striking birds including a Green Bea-Eater and Blossom-Headed Parakeet feasts from a cornucopia within the stork's immense beak. On the left side of the image, a list of fanciful press announcements describes a visit of Microsoft's Bill Gates to India regarding a politically popular investment and his advice to buildup internet access. Further descriptions note the accompanying perks that were lavished upon him at the Maurya Sheraton in New Delhi including, "chocolates every night, a cake shaped like a computer and hot meals within four minutes of placing an order."  By juxtaposing the image of the exotic with a description of a visit from a Western plutocrat, Ford cleverly explores the similarities between self-serving capitalist expansionism and historical examples of Western imperialism and exploitation. Additionally, the title "Chalo", can be interpreted as either "Let's go" or "Go away!" depending on the context in which it's used, further blurring the line between the welcome or reviled hypothetical visit of Gates to India, and therefore, the sometimes positive and sometimes negative effects of societal modernization.