Wall object "Hedy (Sandpaper)" (1985-98)
Wall object "Hedy (Sandpaper)" (1985-98)
Quick info
limited, 25 copies | numbered | signed | dated | steel cut | size 11 x 39 cm
Detailed description
Wall object "Hedy (Sandpaper)" (1985-98)
In 1983, Tom Wesselmann conceived the idea of translating the spontaneity and transience of his sketches on paper into the permanence of metal, elevating the concept of sketching - the draft for a later executed artwork - into the final artistic product.
In the same year, the first "Steel Drawings" were cut by hand in aluminium, greatly enlarging the initial motif. The following year, the artist collaborated with the metal workshop of Alfred Lippincott to develop a technique that could precisely cut the steel drawings, preserving the spontaneous drawing quality. Wesselmann carefully selected the sketches and drawings to be cut in steel; they had to emerge with both lightness and rigour from a drawn arc.
In an interview with the New York Times in 1985, the artist expressed his delight and fascination with this new means of artistic expression. What excited him the most was that his small-scale intimate sketches could be enlarged using this technique without losing their impact.
Coloured steel cut, 1985-98. 25 copies, numbered, signed and dated. Catalogue raisonné Wildenstein Plattner Institute E10. Height: 11 cm. Width: 39 cm.
About Tom Wesselmann
1931-2004
Along with Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann played a significant role in shaping the art history of the 20th century as one of the outstanding representatives of Pop Art.
Wesselmann's subject matter targets a central area of modern society: the world of the cult of sex and stardom, strikingly displayed through advertising and visual media. His works make creative use of the methods of advertising and illustrated magazines and draw attention to them.
He became known in 1961 with his female nude "Great American Nude", the title of which became the generic term for a series that caused horror among art critics and connoisseurs. In contrast to other artists of his genre, who deal with consumer goods ironically and critically, for Wesselmann, the aesthetic view is paramount. He stages his female nude models in elaborate interiors, in front of gathered curtains and plump fruit bowls. Wesselmann's strikingly erotic motifs are even more provocative due to the often faceless models, whose sexual characteristics are emphasised by tan lines, for example.
In his first nudes, Wesselmann's future wife, Claire, posed as his model. But, from the early 1980s onwards, it was Monica Serra, whom he had met at the opening of one of his exhibitions and who also became his assistant. Wesselmann's works from this period are comparable to the tradition of classical nude painting from Titian to Manet to Matisse and Picasso, which he quotes in some of his works.
Today, Tom Wesselmann is among the classics of modern art, whose independent style is characterised by the aesthetics of abstract expressionism within the motif framework of a striking pop theme.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.