Robert Heinecken

unique large-format Polaroid Polacolor print, signed, dated, and numbered '4' in ink in the margin, 1983

Selections 2: From Polaroid Collection (Verlag Photographie, 1984), unpaginated (this print)

This large-format Polacolor print is in generally excellent condition.
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.

Robert Heinecken made his first photograms of food in 1970.  These early works, on traditional black-and-white silver gelatin paper with hand-coloring, were conceived of conceptually as a record of the sustenance Heinecken received when a collector or institution made a purchase of his work.

In 1983, Heinecken was invited to use the 20-by-24-inch Polaroid cameras at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, and at the School for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The present 'foodgram,' as well as those offered in Lots 196 and 197, were made in that year.  According to Luke Batten, Director of the Robert Heinecken Trust, the arrangement of food into two distinct groups provides a commentary on the art world: the meal on the left, with a hamburger, shows the kind of food Heinecken, as a visiting artist, would eat with students in a cafeteria during lunch; the more sophisticated food on the right, with pasta and a variety of vegetables and condiments, comprised the kind of meal he would have with gallerists, or at museum dinners in the evenings.  'Robert had a good sense of humor,' Batten has related, 'and was poking fun at the working class moments of the artist, and conversely, the more elegant moments of one's career.'

Examples of these 'divided' foodgrams in the Robert Heinecken Trust have captioning in the artist's hand that outlines the narrative content described above.