- 9
Thurman Rotan
Estimate
7,000 - 10,000 USD
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Description
- Thurman Rotan
- Skyscrapers
- signed, titled, and dated in pencil on the mount, signed in pencil and with the Photograph by Thurman Rotan stamp on the reverse of the mount
- mural-sized gelatin silver print, mounted
- 23 5/8 by 46 1/8 in.; 60 by 117.2 cm.
- Executed in 1932, printed later.
mural-sized gelatin silver print, mounted, signed, titled, and dated in pencil on the mount, signed in pencil and with the photographer's 'Photograph by Thurman Rotan' stamp on the reverse of the mount, framed, 1932, printed later (Whitney Museum, City of Ambition, cover and pp. 68-9)
Literature
Elisabeth Sussman, City of Ambition: Artist and New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1996, cover and pp. 68-9
Mia Fineman, Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012, p. 169, cat. 178
Mia Fineman, Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012, p. 169, cat. 178
Condition
This rare large-format print is in generally very good condition. There is a small unobtrusive tear (no larger than one-inch) along the upper edge of the image near the left corner. Visible only upon very close examination in raking light are the following: several small creases that likely occurred prior to or as a result of mounting and various deposits of original retouching. The lower margin edge is worn. None of the above are immediately apparent or distract in any way from the overall fine appearance of this impressive print.
The front and reverse of the mount are generally clean. There are two 7-inch remnants of clear tape in the upper portion of the mount.
This photograph is framed.
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
A large-scale mural of Thurman Rotan’s Skyscrapers was featured in The Museum of Modern Art’s 1932 exhibition Murals by American Painters and Photographers, inaugurating the Museum’s new location at 11 West 53rd Street. Described in a period review as ‘a startling, vertiginous mosaic,’ Skyscrapers was made from a collage of Rotan’s numerous dizzying views of the façade of the superstructure home to the New York Daily News.
The News Building, located at 220 East 42nd Street, was one of the towering new constructions of the late 1920s and early 1930s that transformed the skyline of midtown Manhattan. Designed by Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells, the Art Deco landmark, with its clean repetitive lines, stepped massing, and lack of ornamental crown, was a symbol of modernity when it opened in 1930. The News Building was the headquarters for the Daily News until 1995.