Cecily Brown

Gagosian Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. There is a 1 ½ inch drip accretion 1 inch from the right edge, and 10 inches from the top edge, which appears inherent to the artist's working method. Under ultra violet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
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.

Cecily Brown’s The Shining from 2006, is a complex and moody work in the now iconic and painterly style of the British artist. Brown’s canvases are densely packed with imagery where pastoral landscapes and fragments of body parts erotically combine and collide within the composition. In the series of works created after 2000, nature and the human figure meld into one fantastic at once figurative and abstract composition.  The title of this work is directly drawn from Kubrick’s psychological horror film The Shining based on a Stephen King novel.  Brown has been known to title many of her works after classic Hollywood films and books such as The Pyjama Game, Eyes Wide Shut, and East of Eden, among others. In Kubrick’s acclaimed film, Jack, a writer played by Jack Nicholson takes the job of a caretaker for an isolated and haunted hotel. Jack is soon consumed by mania and attempts to murder his wife and son, eventually freezing to death in the snow while pursing them. In a now famous final scene, a picture of the hotel residents from 1921 is shown, with Jack present. The lines of real and the dream are blurred in this film, leaving the audience to wonder what of the plot was real and what wasn’t. With that clear reference in mind, Brown is seductively creating another blurring of sorts between figuration and abstraction. Upon closer inspection of this work, an ominous scene begins to reveal itself to the viewer. A smoldering fire or burnt campsite takes over the center of the composition perhaps in reference to the movie’s eeriness and prolonged suspense. It is precisely in this process of discerning the picture that Brown engages the viewer. Suzanne Cotter describes this process: “Her paintings are about looking; looking to discern an image, a story, a narrative, but also looking as a form of voyeurism, transgression and violation, and the mutual perversion this implies.” (Suzanne Cotter, “Seeing Double” in Exh. Cat., London, Modern Art Oxford, Cecily Brown Paintings, 2005, p. 37)