31st Oct, 2016 20:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
45
Ed Young (South Africa 1978-)
My Gallerist Made Me Do It
metal, latex, paint and animal hair
Artwork date: 2012
Signature details: Edition of 3 and 1 Artist's Proof. This is the Artist's Proof which has red socks, distinguishing it from the edition which has red and white striped socks
Exhibited: Another example from this edition exhibited at the FNB Joburg Art fair, 2012.
Sold for R284,200
Estimated at R300,000 - R500,000
metal, latex, paint and animal hair
Artwork date: 2012
Signature details: Edition of 3 and 1 Artist's Proof. This is the Artist's Proof which has red socks, distinguishing it from the edition which has red and white striped socks
Exhibited: Another example from this edition exhibited at the FNB Joburg Art fair, 2012.
(1)
78 x 10 x 9 cm
Notes:
Susan Stewart, in On Longing, describes why we love miniature or gigantic versions of the familiar (Stewart, 1993). These evoke a sense of nostalgia and often stand in for the thing represented when miniaturised as well as give pleasure because of their ‘familiar unfamiliarity’. My Gallerist Made Me Do It is a self-portrait of the artist rendered in highly realistic sculptural detail (right down to the hirsutism for which Ed is well known) but at a scale that presents the figure at 79cm. He is shown hanging, naked save for a pair of cute pink sockies from an oversize bolt protruding from the wall. Ed appears to be a bit hung-over, as if he has just woken up and is, both literally and figuratively, ‘hanging’.
The title begs the question of what exactly did his gallerist make him do? Making the work in the first place would be an obvious answer but perhaps another, more subtle meaning embedded in the title is that his gallerist made him make a work that is highly reminiscent of the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan or Australian Ron Mueck, both of whom have made realistic self-portraits of themselves. Perhaps the most obvious answer would be that he was instructed to make a nude portrait, a self-reflection that displays the artist in a position of vulnerability and (over-) exposure. Thus, I would offer, this is a work about misunderstandings and expectations that simultaneously can and cannot be fulfilled. The viewer and the gallerist can see what they want and interpret or misinterpret, as they will. I am reminded of what Picasso once said about nudes and people seeing that they want in them: ‘Each person will make for himself the kind of nude he wants, with the nude I will have made for him’ (Ashton, 1972).
Andrew Lamprecht
Sources:
Ashton, D. (1972) Picasso on art: a selection of views. London: Thames & Hudson, p. 101.
Stewart, S. (1993). On longing: narratives of the miniature, the gigantic, the souvenir, the collection. Durham: Duke University Press.
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 31st Oct, 2016
The line-up for our inaugural sale included an extraordinary selection of art. Works ranged from JH Pierneef’s breathtaking Karoo near Hofmeyer, painted in 1930, to Dan Halter’s 2006, ultraviolet light, Pefection.
Sculptures varied from Edoardo Villa’s acknowledgment of French artist, Aristide Maillol to Wim Botha’s heads that draw on classical and contemporary sources and Ed Young’s cheeky nude self-portrait. Also included were impressive photographs by award-winners, David Goldblatt and Pieter Hugo.
The auction set an impressive standard, with an outstanding sell-through rate of over 75% across 121 lots. The top lot of the sale was Alexis Preller’s exceptional Profile Figures (Mirrored Image), selling for over R7-million. Record sales were achieved for Villa, Goldblatt, and Hugo, amongst others.
Viewing
Friday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 4 pm
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