David Hammons

Vera Vita Gioia Gallery, Naples 
Private Collection, Naples 
Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin 
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Naples, Vera Vita Gioia Gallery, Stanley Whitney and David Hammons, 1994

This work is in very good and original condition. There are scattered pinprick holes to the dress, likely inherent to the found nature of the object. Below the neckline of the dress, there is a small accretion and a two inch long diagonal mark, also likely inherent to the found nature of the object. The wooden mask is in original condition.
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“Conceptual artist, environmental sculptor and social commentator, Mr. Hammons fashions from the artifacts of his urban surroundings a strange and rather wonderful kind of poetry.” (Michael Kimmelman, “Giving Voice to the Ephemera of the Urban World,” The New York Times, May 19, 1989) Delicate, divine, ethereal, and elegiac, David Hammons’s Maternity beautifully embodies the artist’s appropriation of the prosaic vernacular of disused remnants of everyday life in stunning and intriguing presentations that challenge the conventional standards of fine art display. Described by Steven Stern as an artist “...[who] set about finding ways to sabotage the works, to undermine this notion of a singular context and a singular dialogue,” Hammons continually destabilizes tradition and forces the viewer to reexamine his or her preconceived notions of fine art. The present work comprises two disparate objects inexplicably juxtaposed in a haunting configuration of forms: a translucent ivory slip is affixed to the wall, behind which a gleering African mask emerges as if through a veil of mist from the delicately embroidered negligee. Its wooden solidity anchors the ghostly material of the lingerie, an obfuscation that evokes an almost ritualistic Shamanism. The three-dimensionality of the mask is positioned within the belly of the spectral nightgown, as if impregnating the ghostly white figure with a barely discernible bump; therein driving the title of the work.

Maternity is rife with thought-provoking contradictions: the substantial wooden mask diametrically opposes the nearly intangible lingerie; yet it is the mask that alludes to a more spiritual and otherworldly realm, one that is degraded by the materiality of such an intimate article of clothing that is so closely attached to the body. The combination of these two objects creates a brilliant tension between the metaphysical and the physical. Here, the delicacy of the negligee suspended gracefully in mid-air is in thrilling dialogue with the solidity of the mask, colliding delicacy with rigidity in sublime poetry. Maternity belongs to a suite of similar works made up of thin nightgowns and African masks, one of which is titled Freudian Slip – a brilliant example of Hammons’ synthesis of readymade object and linguistic wordplay in a literal and deadpan object. The banal and even hackneyed quality of the nightgown elicits much the same response as the best readymades of Marcel Duchamp, inserting an object as mundane as a slip into the context of fine art and imbuing this banal piece of clothing with a weighty portent. In the layering of garment and totemic mask, Hammons also quotes from a long tradition of assemblage, pioneered by such artists as Pablo Picasso and Jean Dubuffet.

First shocking the art world in the 1960s, Hammons continues to defy art world protocols while simultaneously producing work that contributes to an ongoing discussion about the role of the artist and the value of art today. His output remains elusive, yet undeniably makes a stunning impression on the viewer; in the case of Maternity, the incorporeality creating an eloquent sense of loss and nostalgia in the gossamer gown draped elegantly over a spiritually evocative mask.

 

 



This work is unique and is accompanied by a photograph signed by the artist.