Lucas Samaras

unique mural-sized Polaroid Polacolor print, framed, 1983

Samaras: The Photographs of Lucas Samaras (New York, 1987), p. 143 (variant)

Although this oversized Polaroid print has not been examined out of its frame, it appears to be in generally very good condition. The colors appear rich and saturated, and, when viewed from a normal distance, this is a very striking image. There are striations on the surface from processing, and there is a slight waviness to the print, perhaps as a result of its size. Upon very close examination, the following are visible: along the left edge of the print near the finger is a 1½-inch linear crease that breaks the emulsion; along the right edge of the print is a 1¾-inch crease that does not appear to break the emulsion; in the upper right portion of the image, a small particle is affixed to the surface, which likely occurred during processing; and in the lower left corner of the print are small spider-like creases that break the emulsion. The upper and lower edges of the print are unevenly trimmed, as is customary with large-format Polaroid prints. There are 3 small losses to the upper margin from prior hinges.
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 1983, Lucas Samaras was among a handful of artists invited by Polaroid to use its immense 40-by-80-inch camera housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The camera essentially comprised its own light-tight room, measuring 12 by 12 feet, and 16 feet in height.  Known as the Museum Camera, it was developed initially to make actual-size, highly detailed, full-color photographs of paintings.  Like the large-format 20-by-24-inch camera, the Museum Camera used the same Polacolor technology as Polaroid's consumer cameras.  The use of the camera required the assistance of a number of technicians, one of whom was positioned inside it to advance the film and operate the shutter.  Pre-exposure focus was achieved through the use of powerful lights which illuminated the subject sufficiently to project a pale image through the lens and onto the focal plane of the camera.  Exposure required banks of synchronized strobes. 

With this camera, Samaras began his aptly-named Ultra-Large series, each image of which was executed with the artist's characteristic inventiveness.  In the two Ultra-Large studies by Samaras present in this catalogue, his talent for lighting is evident.  In the image offered here, Samaras focuses tightly on his hands, bathing them in hummingbird ruby, green, and yellow.  This astonishingly large photograph delivers a great deal of detail, and the artists' hands are rendered in all of their corporeal reality.  Yet, through its immense size and inventive use of color, the image transcends the documentary and incorporates, instead, a far more evocative study of an artist's principal tools. 

Other images made with the Museum Camera, by Samaras, Chuck Close, and Robert Heinecken, are present in this catalogue as Lots 25, 35, and 37.