Andres Serrano - Photographs New York Wednesday, April 1, 2009 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Directly from the artist

  • Catalogue Essay

    In 1990 Andres Serrano premiered two bodies of work that focused on the notion of the social outcast: Klansman, which depicted current members of the Ku Klux Klan and Nomads, which depicted mostly African-American homeless people. Juxtaposed with each other, these works became powerful symbols of the cause and effect of racial tension in America. Outside of this context, however, Klansman fuelled the controversy that has always surrounded Serrano’s work with viewers and critics, alike, questioning his motivation for photographing such a controversial sect within American culture. Beyond his consistent interest in representing marginalized factions of society as well as his fascination with Catholic iconography (the Klan’s robe is clearly emblematic of Catholic ritual), the Klansman series forces viewers to address the tension between the social implication of the subject and the aesthetic appeal of the photograph itself. It’s a tension that is never resolved thus giving the work a timeless relevance; it never becomes dull because its very presence shifts our internal balance constantly forcing each of us to reconsider our own morality.

109

Klansman (Imperial Wizard)

1990
Dye destruction print.
59 1/4 x 49 in. (150.5 x 124.5 cm).
Signed, titled and numbered AP in pencil on the reverse of the mount. One from an edition of 4 plus artist's proofs.

Estimate
$30,000 - 40,000 

Sold for $31,250

Photographs

1 April 2009, 10am & 2pm
New York