Lot 438
  • 438

Wangechi Mutu

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Wangechi Mutu
  • How to Stab Oneself In The Back
  • signed and dated 2004
  • sequins, ink, acrylic, contact paper and photo collage on Mylar
  • 80 by 42 1/2 in. 203.2 by 108 cm.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 2004

Exhibited

Pittsburgh, The Andy Warhol Museum, The F Word, May - September 2006
Norwood, New York, Deutsche Bank AG, Press Event, February 2010
Berlin, Deutsche Guggenheim, Wangechi Mutu: Artist of the Year 2010, March - June 2010

Literature

Kristine Stiles, Concerning Consequences: Studies in Art, Destruction, and Trauma, Chicago 2016, p. 354

Condition

This work is in excellent condition overall. The sheet is hinged verso to the backing board along the top edge. The collage elements are intact and the edges of the sheet are unevenly cut, due to the artist’s working method. Under close inspection there is evidence of some scattered, minor lifting of the collage elements from the bottom sheet. There is a soft undulation throughout the sheet and some minor lifting at the corners. Framed under Plexiglas.
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

"Wangechi Mutu is a creator of fantastical worlds: primal and futuristic, lushly tropical and post apocalyptic. She invents enchanted forests, interplanetary realms, hallucinatory underway seascapes. These fairytale lands, with their sumptuous beauty and potential for frightening and empowering transformation, are the types of places that young children dream of discovering...For Mutu, these imaginative kingdoms are also critical arenas for profound cultural, psychological, and socio-political exploration. Unburdened by the weight of conventional modes of representation, Mutu's dreamscapes help her challenge and blow apart stereotypes and misconceptions to raise fundamental questions around gender, race, power, and survival in her work." Trevor Schoonmaker, "A Fantastic Journey" in Exh. Cat. Durham, Duke University, Nasher Museum of Art (and traveling), Wangechi Mutu, A Fantastic Journey, 2013, p. 21