Marc Quinn

Hopkins Custot, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner

New York, Mary Boone Gallery, Sphinx, 2007 (edition number unknown)

Exhibition Catalogue, Montreal, DHC/ART Fondation Pour l'Art Contemporain, Marc Quinn, 2007-08, p. 19, illustrated in colour (edition number unknown)
Exhibition Catalogue, London, British Museum, Siren, 2008-09, p. 7, illustrated in colour (edition number unknown)

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly warmer. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Very close inspection reveals a small crack to the bow of the figure's bikini, a small speck of paint loss to the figure's left shoulder, and an extremely faint rubmark towards the figure's lower back.
"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."

“To me, this sculpture is an addition to a long lineage of archetypal female images, stretching from the Venus of Willendorf in prehistoric times, through Nefertiti’s bust in Egypt, images of the Virgin, and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in the Renaissance, to Warhol’s Marilyn and in my own work – the sculpture of Alison Lapper. Sphinx is a rebirth of Venus. It is a portrait of Kate Moss’s image, not of herself. An interesting thing about Kate Moss is that, because she never gives interviews, she’s almost purely ubiquitous image. Like the frozen flower garden, which raises the question ‘When does an object become an image of itself?’, so Sphinx asks the same question of a person. The yoga-like pose, reminiscent of an Indian sculpture of Shiva, is in a contemporary scene about trying to affect spirit through the body. It also seems to symbolise that Kate’s image is sculpted by society’s collective desire, contorted by outside influences. She is the reflection of ourselves, a knotted Venus for our age, a mirror, a mystery, a sphinx.”
Marc Quinn
Exhibition Catalogue, Groningen, Groninger Museum, Recent Sculptures, 2006