- 456
Jenny Holzer
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Jenny Holzer
- Laments: Death came and he looked like...
- L.E.D. sign and marble sarcophogus
- sign: 128 by 9 1/2 by 5 1/4 in. 325.1 by 24.1 by 13.3 cm.
- sarcophogus: 18 by 24 by 54 in. 45.7 by 61 by 137.2 cm.
- Executed in 1989, this work is unique.
Provenance
Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York
Christie's, New York, 17 May 2000, Lot 192
Cheim & Read, New York
Aquired from the above by the present owner
Christie's, New York, 17 May 2000, Lot 192
Cheim & Read, New York
Aquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
New York, DIA Center for the Arts, Jenny Holzer: Laments 1988-1989, March 1989 - December 1990
Literature
Diane Waldman, Ed., Jenny Holzer, New York 1989, pp. 92-97
Michael Auping, Ed., Jenny Holzer (Universe Women Artists), New York 1992, pp. 40-43, 52, 56, 64, 82, 93, 96, 103-104 and 106
Michael Auping, Ed., Jenny Holzer (Universe Women Artists), New York 1992, pp. 40-43, 52, 56, 64, 82, 93, 96, 103-104 and 106
Condition
This work is in excellent and structurally sound condition overall. All electrical components are accounted for and in good working order. Under close inspection, there is scattered wear and associated minor accretions along the black border of the electrical component. There embedded dust within the grooves of the text of the top of the marble sarcophagus.
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
"Holzer's language has become peculiarly lyric in its outpouring of emotion. She has described the Laments as 'the regrets, hopes and fears of the nameless deceased; one last chance to say what you never did, or in some cases to say what never should have happened and what should never happen again...' The equally repellent and seductive acid light, which animates an immense plane of darkness in view of a sober chapel of coffins, suggests a desperate, apocalyptic message. Indeed, the earthbound coffins and the upward-moving vaporizing light of the vertical signs offer a futuristic image of death and resurrection into a new age."
Michael Auping in Jenny Holzer (Universe Women Artists), New York 1992, p. 42
Michael Auping in Jenny Holzer (Universe Women Artists), New York 1992, p. 42