Bruce High Quality 基金會

Acquired by the present owner directly from the artist

This work is in excellent condition. Under examination in raking light, there is an extremely fine horizontally diagonal 2 ½" hairline scratch, located 37 – 39" from the left and 31 – 31 ½" from the top edge. Under ultraviolet light there are no apparent restorations. The canvas is not 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.

Hooverville is an electrifying commentary on two pivotal moments in American history. Titled after shanty towns erected, most notably in New York's Central Park, under President Herbert Hoover's administration during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the present work is a complex comparison of this devastating moment in the history of New York and a much more recent one. The painting depicts a photograph of a panoramic installation of the city of New York reopened in 2007 at the Queens Museum. By layering the name Hooverville on the likeness of the modern metropolis, the Bruce High Quality Foundation equates the 1929 stock market disaster with the financial crash of 2008. The silkscreen depicts three faded figures huddled in the top right corner who at first glance are the hobos of Hooverville but upon further reflection might be any one of the unfortunate owners who lost their homes following the more recent market collapse.

The installation at the Queens Museum was originally commissioned for the 1964 World's Fair by Robert Moses whose controversial urban planning projects transformed New York City. The model was built by a team of 100 people over 3 years with over 99% accuracy, and was updated until 1992. By using this panorama as the basis for Hooverville, the work is a clear political comment on the often harsh infrastructural changes which have historically forced many New Yorkers out of their homes and into bohemian often derelict existences. Hooverville explores the disparity between big business and those that lie devastated in its wake. It is a harsh portrayal of a city dwarfed by its homeless giants, a bitter taste of the situation at the tail end of the economic crisis and a contrast to the thriving metropolis of the 1990s and 2000s.