- 346
Elizabeth Peyton
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description
- Elizabeth Peyton
- Craig
- signed, titled, dated 1997 and inscribed Happy birthday to Craig love from Elizabeth on the reverse
- oil on board
- 14 1/4 by 11 1/8 in. 36.2 by 28.3 cm.
Provenance
Private Collection, San Antonio (gift of the artist)
Sotheby's, New York, May 15, 2007, lot 1
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
Sotheby's, New York, May 15, 2007, lot 1
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
Condition
This work is in very good condition. There are a few scattered pinprick size abraisions with resultant paint loss in the lower right corner and visible in the catalogue illustration, located in general 2 inches up from the bottom edge and 1 ¾ inches from the right edge. Under ultraviolet light, there are no apparent restorations. 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Despite their modest scale and deceptively casual manner, Peyton's intimate portraits draw the viewer like a magnet, condensing emotion into the picture plane. Her concise brushstrokes imbue the photographic image with an emotional energy, simultaneously recalling both Renaissance miniatures and Pre-Raphaelite romanticism. Transformed into a small votive image, this intimate icon – Craig – throws into relief Peyton's use of devotional portraiture in her treatment of her unambiguously modern subject matter. Craig, like all of her subjects – androgynous, "pretty," feline, stylized – glows with godly incandescence.
Peyton democratically selects her subjects from among both her close friends and figures in the public eye; the only prerequisite seems to be extreme physical beauty. Her technique recalls Warhol's program, rescuing portraiture from its elitist past. Blurring social boundaries, Peyton's oeuvre presents a parallel aristocracy equally worthy of depiction. One responds in an intensely personal way to individuals whose lives and actions she deems heroic, noble, and inspirational. In the present work, "Craig" is Craig Walden a fellow artist and friend of Peyton. He is rendered just as beatifically, however, as the major celebrities Peyton often paints. With a faceted face, ruby lips, and locks of buttery yellow hair, he is a mortal made divine. As the artist explains: "There is no separation for me between people I know through their music or photos and someone I know personally. The way I perceive them is very similar, in that there's no difference between certain qualities that I find inspiring in them." (Elizabeth Peyton cited in Rizzoli, Ed., Elizabeth Peyton, New York, 2005, p. 16).
Peyton democratically selects her subjects from among both her close friends and figures in the public eye; the only prerequisite seems to be extreme physical beauty. Her technique recalls Warhol's program, rescuing portraiture from its elitist past. Blurring social boundaries, Peyton's oeuvre presents a parallel aristocracy equally worthy of depiction. One responds in an intensely personal way to individuals whose lives and actions she deems heroic, noble, and inspirational. In the present work, "Craig" is Craig Walden a fellow artist and friend of Peyton. He is rendered just as beatifically, however, as the major celebrities Peyton often paints. With a faceted face, ruby lips, and locks of buttery yellow hair, he is a mortal made divine. As the artist explains: "There is no separation for me between people I know through their music or photos and someone I know personally. The way I perceive them is very similar, in that there's no difference between certain qualities that I find inspiring in them." (Elizabeth Peyton cited in Rizzoli, Ed., Elizabeth Peyton, New York, 2005, p. 16).