- 85
Chuck Close
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Chuck Close
- 'MARK [MORRISROE] DIPTYCH II'
- Two unique Polaroid prints
a diptych of unique mural-sized Polaroid Polacolor prints, signed, titled, and dated in ink in the margins, each flush-mounted to aluminum, 1984 (2)
Provenance
Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York, 1996
Exhibited
New York, Thread Waxing Space, Collection in Context: Selected Contemporary Photographs of Hands from the Collection of Henry M. Buhl, September - October 1996, and 8 other national and international venues through 1999 (see Appendix 1)
New York, Guggenheim Museum, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection, June - September 2004
New York, Guggenheim Museum, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection, June - September 2004
Literature
Marianne Courville, Collection in Context: Selected Contemporary Photographs of Hands from the Collection of Henry M. Buhl (New York, 1996), pl. 10 (this diptych)
Jennifer Blessing, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection (Guggenheim Foundation, 2004), pp. 69 and 208 (this diptych)
Jennifer Blessing, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection (Guggenheim Foundation, 2004), pp. 69 and 208 (this diptych)
Condition
These mural-sized Polaroid prints appear to be in generally excellent condition. The colors remain rich and saturated, with no apparent fading. There is a 2-inch band that is slightly warmer toned along the upper edge of both images, likely a result of the Polaroid process. In high raking light, fingerprints are visible overall. In the upper margin corners of both prints are 4 3/8-inch-sized holes.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
In 1979, while working in Cambridge with Polaroid's 20-by-24-inch camera, Chuck Close heard about another, even larger, Polaroid camera housed in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Developed initially to take actual-size photographs of paintings, the massive 40-by-80-inch camera was essentially its own light-tight room. Close experimented with this monumental camera on a number of occasions throughout the 1980s, initially working with self-portraiture and eventually producing multi-image compositions, such as the nude offered here.
In the present image, Close focuses on the hands and genitalia of the artist and hustler Mark Morrisroe. Despite a difficult childhood with a drug-addicted mother, and an adolescence spent on the streets, Morrisroe (1959-1989) graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Morrisroe adeptly manipulated photographic processes, creating what he called ‘sandwich prints,’ the resulting image from two combined negatives. While his photographs most frequently trained the camera on his naked body, Morrisroe also documented lovers, fellow hustlers, and his Boston circle of artist friends that included Nan Goldin, Jack Pierson, Philip-Lorca DiCorcia, and Doug and Mike Starn, among others. Although his career was short-lived, Morrisroe was an incredibly prolific artist, leaving behind 2,000 photographs, some 800 of which were Polaroids.
In the present image, Close focuses on the hands and genitalia of the artist and hustler Mark Morrisroe. Despite a difficult childhood with a drug-addicted mother, and an adolescence spent on the streets, Morrisroe (1959-1989) graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Morrisroe adeptly manipulated photographic processes, creating what he called ‘sandwich prints,’ the resulting image from two combined negatives. While his photographs most frequently trained the camera on his naked body, Morrisroe also documented lovers, fellow hustlers, and his Boston circle of artist friends that included Nan Goldin, Jack Pierson, Philip-Lorca DiCorcia, and Doug and Mike Starn, among others. Although his career was short-lived, Morrisroe was an incredibly prolific artist, leaving behind 2,000 photographs, some 800 of which were Polaroids.