Kenneth Armitage

Sale, Christie's, New York, 4th May 1989, lot 171 
Connaught Brown, London, from whom purchased by the present owner

London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Kenneth Armitage, July – August 1959, no.41 (another cast);
Hanover, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Kenneth Armitage/Lynn Chadwick, April – May 1960, no.14, illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, fig.14(another cast).

 

Norbert Lynton, Kenneth Armitage, Methuen, London 1962, illustrated (unpaginated) (another cast);
Tamsyn Woollcombe (ed.) in association with the artist, Kenneth Armitage: Life and Work, Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1997, KA80.

 

Dirt has gathered in some of the crevices but the sculpture is in good overall condition. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

Conceived in 1957. One cast is recorded from that date and it therefore appears that the present work belongs to an edition of 6 cast in 1969.
The present work is a smaller version of the Sprawling Woman  that Armitage exhibited at the 29th Venice Biennale in 1958, the year he won the David E. Bright Foundation prize for a sculptor under 45. This larger version is KA81, and is included in Tamsyn Woollcombe (ed.) in association with the artist, Kenneth Armitage: Life and Work, Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1997, illustrated p.43 (another cast).