Tom Wesselmann

Galerie Serge deBloe, Brussels
Ora Zucker, Belgium
Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf
Galerie Di Meo, Paris
Yoav Harlap, Israel (acquired from the above in 1992)
Christie's, London, October 15, 2006, lot 108
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Pierre Restany, "A Rare Collection in Israel," Cimaise, revue de l'art actuel, No. 246, April - May 1997, n.p., illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling at the edges, resulting in some scattered hairline craquelure and very minor loss along the extreme edges and corners. There are some scattered hairline abrasions along the bottom edge if the canvas. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
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.

Splayed across a larger-than-lifesize canvas, Tom Wesselmann’s Great American Nude #88 exemplifies the American Pop avant-garde. Trained in the manner of the Abstract Expressionists, Wesselmann quickly felt disenchanted with the drips, gestures and air of elite painterliness that dominated the New York art world in the 1950s. Using the female body as his muse, Wesselmann strove to create dynamic and colorful paintings that would rival the heat and primal force of the Abstract Expressionists’ output, stating “I only got started by doing the opposite of everything I loved. And in choosing representational painting I decided to do, as my subject matter, the history of art: I would do nudes, still-lifes, landscapes, interiors, portraits, etc.” (Marco Livingstone, “Tom Wesselmann: Telling It Like It is” in Exh. Cat., Tokyo, Isetan Museum of Art, Tom Wesselmann, a Retrospective Survey, 1969-1992, 1993, p. 21)

Along with fellow Pop artists Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and James Rosenquist, Wesselmann appropriated images from the American economy’s “vulgar” and prolific commercial industries. American Pop joyfully engaged with the reproducible photographic image and other figurative symbols taken from the everyday, redefining the scope and expectations of even the most radical contemporary painting. Wesselmann debuted the Great American Nude series during his first solo exhibition at Tanager Gallery in 1961, presenting a group of collages that would evolve into his most recognizable group of paintings while simultaneously commenting on the tastes and expectations of the American public.

Heavily influenced by Matisse’s bright colors, Titian’s Venuses and Egon Schiele’s deft draughtsmanship, Great American Nude #88 is a hyper-sexed and unabashed Pop icon. Wesselmann allows the vast fields of fleshy color to culminate in the hard-edged forms of the female sexual signifiers: her gaping mouth and highly erect erogenous zones (autonomous subjects of the painting in their own right) command the viewer’s attention and the omission of the figure’s eyes serve to further generalize and commodify her sexuality. Constructed by no more than a set of outlines, the nude’s body defines and commands a pictorial space that opens up into a flattened seascape that is fused with the abundance of the nude’s pubic hair. Undoubtedly influenced by Wesselmann’s frequent visits to Cape Cod in 1967, this seemingly stolen view of the ocean echoes the serpentine outlines of the female form.

With a simple composition that strays only lightly from a restrained palette of reds whites and blues, Great American Nude #88 presents an immensely dynamic and engaging study of desire and the human body. Borrowing the black stockings from Egon Schiele’s Reclining Female Nude with Legs Spread from 1914, Wesselmann shamelessly thrusts his figure’s nudity into the realm of the viewer whereas Schiele presented a more rigid, anatomically correct study of the body. In true Pop fashion, Wesselmann manipulated the art historical trajectory of the female nude, infusing his women with a larger than life sense of erotic rapture. Great American Nude #88 stands at the apex of this sequence, further embodying Pop Art’s power of suggestion.