Lot 36
  • 36

ANDY WARHOL | Portrait d'Arman

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 EUR
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Description

  • Andy Warhol
  • Portrait d'Arman
  • inscribed on the reverse of the canvas by Fred Hugues
  • acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
  • 102 x 102 cm; 40 1/8 x 40 1/8 in.
acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvasExecuted in 1986.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist by the current owners

Literature

Pierre Nahon, L'Histoire de la Glaerie Beaubourg I, 1936-1988, p. 225, illustrated in colours
Pierre Nahon, L'Histoire de la Galerie Beaubourg III, 1994-2009, Paris, 2009, p.89, illustrated in colours

Condition

The colours are fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration although the overall tonality is brighter in the pink areas. The work is executed on its original canvas and is not relined. A very minor wear is located on the right upper corner. Two stains are visible on the top right corner. Under Ultra Violet Light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. This work is in very good condition.
"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

Warhol never tries and therefore always succeeds. Thanks to silkscreen printing and the thread marks it leaves during the process, the artist restitutes an essential part of the documents he uses: the nature of the images already printed and broadcasted by the media as both snapshots and clichés.

By transposing them on the canvas, the artist accentuates their cliché dimension. He reduces them to a thin layer of ink; and multiplication finishes to deprive them of their meaning.

Killed several times, these images depleted of their weight and reduced to their ink texture, owe their power of fascination to the elimination of all traces of life.