Alex Israel

Peres Projects, Berlin

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Città della Pieve, Museo Civico Diocesano di Santa Maria dei Servi, Alex Israel, 2012

Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Extremely close inspection reveals two minute nicks: one towards the upper and one towards the lower centre back of the left overturn edge of the left hand oval. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

Executed in diffuse mists of blue, purple, lilac, and orange, Untitled (Flat) is a work of hypnagogic mesmerising impact. Across two vertically-orientated, oval canvases, in chromatic compositions that are harmoniously balanced if not symmetrical, the work appears almost as two backdrop props from a heavily lit stage set, removed and viewed in isolation; or perhaps as a pair of oversized eyeholes, through which one can glimpse the bluish hues of an early sunrise in some mysterious realm beyond the picture plane. These twinned panels are sumptuously bedecked, irresistibly seductive, and deliberately enigmatic; seeming at once to imply and deny a sense of depth in their delicate abstract wash.

Created in partnership with the scenic art department at Warner Bros studios, the Flats series takes its name from the term used to describe backdrop elements for television and film. For Israel, these Flats set a scene, expressing artifice, whilst simultaneously evoking a fleeting sense of anticipation for performance. The Flats also relate to Israel’s most significant project to date – As it LAys, which is distributed by the artist’s website and YouTube channel. In this endeavour Israel has continually interviewed Hollywood celebrities, from Academy Award winning actors to reality television stars, as well as designers and producers. In these ‘talk-show’ style short films, the artist awkwardly shuffles cards between his hands and delivers open-ended lifestyle questions, thus creating an intentionally awkward scene where the subject is forced to propel personal narratives with minimal encouragement. Israel uses his own Flats as the backdrops for every shot and camera angle. In this context, we understand that for the artist to reproduce these as art works in their own right is to cast a sideways glance at the role played by his viewers. He includes us within his uneasy exchange, and momentarily casts us as Hollywood starlets of our own making, forced to play out our plot in front of his deliberately noncommittal backdrop.

This intimacy with celebrity, and this sardonic fetishism of the systems by which it comes about draws an obvious parallel with the work of Andy Warhol; a parallel that continues through the shared use of film, the shared appreciation for the concept of ‘flatness’, and the shared appropriation of depictive techniques that were as yet unused in the canon of art. Israel reconfigures the Warholian discourse for the Social-Media age, and revives it for the new centre of the global zeitgeist: Hollywood.

 Born in Los Angeles in 1982, Alex Israel’s burgeoning career has been centred on embodying the mystical essence of his hometown in each of its machinations. He has built a unique conceptual oeuvre, based around concepts of celebrity culture and the illusion – both aesthetic and conceptual – of the Hollywood dream. In his own words, “I’m from Los Angeles, so I grew up in Hollywood, but was never a part of it… Because I’ve always been an outsider I’ve always been interested in the magic of the movies – in the connection between how they manipulate us and how art can manipulate us” (Alex Israel quoted in: Ashley W. Simpson, ‘Alex Israel’s Berlin Babylon’, Interview, September 2011, online resource). His work is unabashedly attractive, and remarkably fluid, entailing projects in a variety of media and earning significant recognition from public institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.