John Currin

Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
Private Collection
Sale: Christie's, New York, Post-War and Contemporary Art, 10 May 2006, Lot 471
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the paper tone tends more towards cream in the original, with brighter and more vibrant hues. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The sheet is attached to a backing board in places on the reverse. Upon close inspection, there is a minute crease to the top left corner tip and one above the centre of the left edge.
"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."

The present sequence of exquisitely wrought nudes hails from a private collection comprising a wide array of artists and media, spanning the Impressionist, modern and contemporary periods. Charting key moments in post-war art history, the contemporary works assembled here superbly represent diverse approaches to the female figure in recent years, including examples from American Pop, The School of London, hyperrealism, and conceptual photography, among others. Altogether, they evince a fascinating meditation on the endless fecundity and plasticity of the most ancient and enduring subject in human art: the nude.

In his treatise devoted to the nude in art history, Kenneth Clark writes that it “is not the subject of art, but a form of art” (Kenneth Clark, The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form, New York 1956, p. 5). Describing its evolution over time, he notes that "in the greatest age of painting, the nude inspired the greatest works” and that today it holds “its position as an academic exercise and a demonstration of mastery" (Ibid., p. 3). Illustrating this point, the following works reveal that even following the successive avant-gardes and radically anti-academic movements of the twentieth century, the nude remains the definitive subject  with which contemporary artists assert their unique style and conceptual approach. Regardless of their preferred media, the nude draws artists like moths to a flame, beckoning they craft their particular stamp upon this time-honoured trope.

Stephen Balkenhol’s monumental triad in his signature wawa wood, 3 Nudes, offers a stunning articulation of his career-defining obsession with sculpting large-scale human figures. Congregated in an almost ritual assembly, its three figures upon pedestals exert a compelling, architectural presence. They exist in rich dialogue with a sculpture such as John de Andrea’s Giamella, a haunting example of hyperrealist art, whose lifelike textures profoundly confuse the viewer’s senses. In two dimensions, painterly approaches by Eric Fischl and Marlene Dumas pursue a more ambiguous atmosphere, highlighting the indeterminate and transgressive subtexts of the nude, each finding a harmonious marriage between the artist's native sensibilities and the possibilities of the subject. Similarly, a strong conceptual link unites the works by Tom Wesselmann, Mel Ramos, Thomas Ruff, and John Currin, who find inspiration in popular depictions of female sexuality, both refuting and embracing mass culture in negotiation with fine art. Collectively, our present nudes collection reveals the sustained and thoughtful attentions of a discerning collector, who perceived that an artist’s most defining statement is often best expressed via this quintessential subject.