Modern & Contemporary Art (1666) Lot 51

Modern & Contemporary Art (1666) May 14, 2020 EDT, ONLINE ONLY Lot 51 Estimate: $5000 - $8000 (plus Buyer's Premium) Kiki Smith (American, born 1954) Untitled (Egg and Yolk) 1996, the egg pencil signed and dated 1995 on base. The yolk stamped on base with initials, dated 1995 and numbered 6/20 (from the intended edition of 20, only 9 were fabricated including one artist's proof, one special proof and one foundry proof), Art Foundry Editions, Santa Fe, New Mexico, publisher and with their stamp on the yolk. Hand-painted watercolor on plaster and alloyed 24 karat gold and fine silver unique cast. egg: 3 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (8.3 x 5.1 x 5.1cm) yolk: 1 1/2 x 5/8 x 1/2 in. (3.8 x 1.6 x 1.3cm) NOTE: Birds, eggs and yolks figure prominently in Kiki Smith’s work, including in other multiples she created out of glass and plaster, connecting to notions of life and death and reproduction in her work over the course of her career. Smith was one of the first artists invited to a residency at Art Foundry Editions and created a project that encompasses elements of an edition and a unique work. The robin’s egg blue forms were hand-painted in watercolor on plaster by the artist, and the gold and silver yolks are also uniquely cast. Here the yolk stands on its own as the precious, vulnerable center, detached from its protective envelope and singled out as something unique. Art Foundry Editions: Dwight Hackett stands as a major innovator in contemporary artist editions, changing the traditional model of how artists worked with foundries to a more collaborative approach that nurtured the connection between the artist and bronze caster. Hackett began working with bronze at Nambé Mills foundry in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and later experimented with cold casting processes and less expensive materials, like aluminum and plastics, as alternatives for projects by contemporary artists. His work with sculptor Una Hanbury at Nambé led to her introducing him to other influential bronze casters and artists, whose expertise helped him shape his intention behind Art Foundry, which he opened in 1980. Art Foundry Editions followed twelve years later, building on the model of Art Foundry, but expanding to encourage more well-established contemporary artists from around the world to produce limited editions in residency at the foundry. In Hackett’s new business model, AFE received half of the editioned works to offer to galleries and collectors, in exchange for the foundry resources available at the artists’ fingertips. At the time in the 1990s, Santa Fe was flourishing as a lively and dynamic home to contemporary art, with the founding of the Santa Fe Art Institute and SITE Santa Fe and with many private collectors turning their attention to what the city had to offer. Employing a collaborative model, Hackett essentially turned the foundry over to the artist - including renowned residents such as Bruce Nauman, Kiki Smith, Barry Le Va and Lynda Benglis - who lived in Santa Fe for a time, using the facility as their studio. Hackett explained in a 2015 interview that he wanted to “collaborate with artists, not just work for them, and to challenge the limits of traditional casting technique.” [1] Hackett’s idea proved a success, producing many notable editions, and the artist Richard Tuttle even famously called Hackett his “muse.” [2] Hackett closed the foundry in 2000 and later started Dwight Hackett Projects to continue representing contemporary artists in Santa Fe in a gallery setting. Correspondence, artist’s plans and countless photographs documenting the foundry’s projects now reside in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian. [1] Jason Steiber, “Art Foundry and Art Foundry Editions Records,” Archives of American Art Journal (Sept. 2015) vol. 54, no. 2: 87. [2] Dwight Hackett interview with Chelsea Weathers, “People to People with Chelsea Weathers and Dwight Hackett,” New Mexico Museum of Art, 24 Apr. 2018 https://youtu.be/RyEINruk4Lo.

Load more