Lot 42
  • 42

Juan Muñoz

Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 GBP
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Description

  • Juan Muñoz
  • Pelotaris (Yellow Eyes)
  • polyester resin
  • 142.2 by 57.2 by 58.4cm.
  • 56 by 22 1/2 by 23in.
  • Executed in 1999.

Provenance

Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the grey areas are slightly darker and the yellow is slightly lighter in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is a crack towards the bottom of the figure's inside right leg and a further hairline crack to the back of the left leg towards the bottom, consistent with the artist's working process. No restoration is apparent under ultraviolet 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."

Catalogue Note

Juan Muñoz’s Pelotaris (Yellow Eyes) is an immensely striking example of the strongly emotive figure sculptures for which the artist is justifiably celebrated; both visceral and powerful, it is indisputably the work of a sculptor at the pinnacle of his tragically short career. Muñoz began to work extensively with the idea of the human form in sculpture from the late 1980s, creating figural compositions, both singular and in groups, of growing complexity throughout the 1990s. Simultaneously approachable due to their life-like scale yet curiously disconcerting in their arrested poses, Muñoz’s figures often appear isolated within their own space, their actions, gestures and facial expressions eternally frozen in an oddly poignant manner. Muñoz articulated the importance of this concept of each sculpture remaining within its own self-contained capsule of space: "Some of the best figurative sculptures seem to be aware of the impossibility of looking alive and aware of the boundaries they can occupy. The most successful ones are the ones that state those limits, the space between being just a sculpture and the man walking on the street. Not for a split second can you confuse one with the other" (The artist, cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, Washington D.C., Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, in association with the Art Institute of Chicago, Juan Muñoz,2001-02, p. 42).

Pelotaris makes reference to Muñoz’s Spanish background, depicting a sportsman in the act of playing Basque Pelota, a popular ball game first played during the Thirteenth Century. Whilst variations of the sport allow a wooden bat or racquet to be used, Muñoz’s Pelotaris relies on the brute strength of his hands and arms in order to propel the unseen ball, caught at a moment of immense exertion as he engages fully with the actions of the game: the rugged contours of the figure’s face are taught in concentration, eyes focussed on the path of the ball. Muñoz has delineated the folds of the player’s uniform with particular care: crumpled with the exertion of rapid movement, the ‘fabric’ appears incredibly tactile, whilst being subtly reminiscent of the fall of classical, marbled drapery seen adorning numerous earlier examples of the figural sculpture tradition. The influence of Bernini's David and perhaps the cult of the athlete in antque statuary entrenches Munoz's Pelotaris within a classical art historical context. Belonging to this immortal lineage, there is a certain irony in the isolation of the figure: a sportsman engaged in a group game, yet lacking the crucial support of a team, Pelotaris effectively exists in a moment outside time, caught in an endless instant, forever awaiting the next move. Ultimately, Pelotaris can be imbued with universal qualities and emotions, a poignant evocation of an ‘everyman’ locked in dialogue with a potentially unresponsive, wider world, epitomising Muñoz’s artistic concerns and ideals.