Tetsu Okuhara

a unique photomontage, mounted in 3 parts arranged in the shape of a cross, each mounted again to a wood box frame, the central panel signed, titled, and dated in ink on the reverse, 1975

Christie's New York, 5 October 1999, Sale 9298, Lot 324

This photocollage is in overall very good to excellent condition. Central panel - There is some light soiling and rubbing to the upper portion of the mount. On the large photograph of the chest, there is a 1/2-inch scratch that appears to disturb the emulsion, and there is some very light liquid soiling. The photograph at the lower left corner of the panel is lifting slightly from the mount. Left panel - There are 4 pin-point-sized holes on the mount near the large photograph of the hand. The large photograph of the hand is lifting ever-so-slightly from the mount. On the reverse of the wood box frame is the Buhl Collection label. Right panel - There are 4 droplet deposits on the mount near the large photograph of the hand. On the reverse of the wood box frame is the Buhl Collection label.
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.

Tetsu Okuhara’s SA Journey (South American Journey) is a highly complex photomosaic, comprised of hundreds of precisely-collaged photographs of hands, arms, mouths, and eyes.  The artist’s photomontages first gained national attention when his photomosaic entitled Susan was chosen by John Szarkowski for the important 1978 exhibition Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960 at The Museum of Modern Art.

Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Okuhara and his family were moved to a Colorado internment camp during the Second World War.  After the war, the family relocated to Chicago, where Okuhara later studied art.  As Nancy Malloy has pointed out, the artist’s experimentation with grid-like patterns, de-constructing and then re-constructing a subject, was paralleled by such artists as David Hockney and Sol LeWitt at around the same time.  Okuhara’s use of different platforms such as the cruciform, however, broke away from the standard shape of the rectangle and brought a new freedom and vocabulary to his work (cf. Nancy Malloy, catalogue essay the Okuhara exhibition, Freddie Fong Gallery, San Francisco, 2005).

As with the hands of Herbert Bayer’s Lonely Metropolitan (Lot 12), Okuhara’s outstretched hands have been collaged with eyes.  In Okuhara’s composition, however, the rhythmical patterns of multiple eyes, hands, and lips, carefully arranged in a cross, communicate a mysterious and embracing spirituality.