Lot 2
  • 2

REBECCA WARREN | Fascia III

Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 GBP
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Description

  • Rebecca Warren
  • Fascia III
  • bronze on painted MDF plinth
  • bronze: 141 by 47 by 33 cm. 44 7/8 by 18 1/2 by 13 in.
  • overall: 202 by 47 by 33 cm. 79 1/2 by 18 1/2 by 13 in.
  • Executed in 2010, this work is number 6 from an edition of 6, plus 2 artist's proofs.

Provenance

Maureen Paley, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

Literature

Brice Curiger, Ed., Rebecca Warren: Every Aspect of Bitch Magic, London 2012, p. 225, illustrated in colour (edition no. unknown)

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although they fail to fully convey the slight tonal variations in the patina of the bronze figure. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals a light layer of dust which has settled in the crevices. There are a few minor scuffs and abrasions to the plinth.
"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

Rebecca Warren’s Fascia III – an imposing bronze figure set on a pale pink plinth – is an embodiment of the Turner Prize-nominee’s continuing fascination with the relation between – mainly female – functional anatomy and biological improbability. In her distinguished career as a sculptor, Warren has used a wide variety of materials including clay, bronze and steel, seeking to draw out the unique properties from each medium. In Fascia III, the artist utilises bronze to evocative effect, drawing, with some humour, on the material’s history of public commemoration and communally significant statuary.

Warren’s creative process operates within a historical artistic lineage of intense interest in human bodily forms and their potential for anatomical abstraction and free fantasy, particularly drawing on that of Auguste Rodin and Alberto Giacometti, as well as fusing elements derived from her interest in the satirical cartoons of Robert Crumb. These forms, visibly worked, prodded and squeezed into being, are often chimera-like objects, at once monstrous and ravishing, that are wholly emancipated from their antecedents. Fascia III, executed in 2010, is a voluptuous arrangement (and misplacement) of female characteristics, with a spherical head, and a solidly power-heeled shoe with big toe attached. The whole is perhaps suggestive of a novel kind of chess piece promising unpredictable moves.

Often described by Warren as totems, these bronze uprights also resemble religious idols found in archaeological sites across the world, invoking an animist connection between the human body and the earth.

Drawing from a tradition of sculptural and Pop culture history encompassing classical antiquity through to Modernism to animation and cartoons, Warren has created an instantly recognisable corpus of physically imposing and beautifully evocative sculptures, and Fascia III perfectly encapsulates her uncompromising artistic ethos.