Lot 119
  • 119

George Condo

Estimate
600,000 - 800,000 HKD
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Description

  • George Condo
  • Joan of Arc
  • oil on canvas
  • 52.4 by 44 cm; 20⅝ by 17⅜ in.
signed, titled and dated 2003 on the stretcher; signed and dated 03 on the reverse

Provenance

Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist in 2003)
Christie's, London, 2 July 2014, lot 179
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Exhibited

Hong Kong, Sotheby's S│2 Gallery, Face-Off: Picasso/ Condo, March 2018, p.41, pl. 16 (illustrated in colour)

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of handling and wear along the edges of the canvas. There is an area of minor craquelure at the upper left quadrant 13 cm from the top edge and 8 cm from the left edge, visible upon close inspection. Very minor signs of accretion observed on the bottom right corner of the work. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. 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. 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

“It's more about the way they feel than the way they look. There should be a person behind the facade.”
- George Condo

Best known for his eccentric mannerist portraits of imaginary sitters that straddle the uncanny and the grotesque, George Condo has created in the present work a demure and unexpectedly tender portrait. Depicting Joan of Arc, one of the best known female heroines in Western history, the painting recalls a long art historical lineage of representations of the sacrosanct female saint. Never deriving his imagery from a single model, the artist invests a vast amount of time making studies of Old Masters, to the extent which, as Margrit Brehm observes, “form and content become mixed, technical devices are examined with a view to the narrative structure of the painting and the mood radiated by the protagonists” (“Tradition as Temptation. An Approach to the ‘George Condo Method’”, in George Condo: One Hundred Women, Hatje Cantz Publishers, 2005, p.22). Drawing from vastly diverse painting practices based on an internalized multitude of art historical sources, Joan of Arc displays Condo’s unique capability in capturing penetrating psychological complexities. In this instance, it is the upward tilt of the head and the ardent piercing gaze that evoke the unfathomable faith of the martyr; in addition, the heroine’s neck, elongated with a Condoesque touch, heightens the surreal uncanniness preeminent throughout the artist’s highly idiosyncratic oeuvre.