Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist
Catalogue Essay
An artist such as David Hammons evokes personal spirit and conviction while maintaining a strong aura of enigma through his steadfast elusiveness. His artwork emerges from the gap between art and life, where beauty and social commentary intersect. It is this very duplicity, however, that earns him the respect and attention merited.

Hammons rose to art world fame in the mid 1970s with his sculptural ‘ready-mades’ that pushed the African-American identity into the spotlight. At the time, his work stood in stark contrast to the exclusively white-fed art that was the mainstay in commercial galleries. The tension his work highlighted was universally appealing and led the artist to achieve critical success and respect.

Charged with black political activism inspired through his own experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, Hammons challenges our stereotypes and the clichés of an African American experience by voicing strong statements of discontent with the political, social and economic systems of America.

In a rare interview conducted in 1993, Hammons explores the myths behind interpreting his artwork. When asked to define the nature of his work he responds, “It’s all bullshit or it’s brilliance. Life is all bullshit. Everybody says ‘I own this, I got this property, I own all that over there, I got to get on the yacht.’ Cling. The next thing you know they die on their way to the yacht. It’s all so transient. It’s a big game, and it’s serious too. But you just play with all the silly sides of it. It’s like, ‘Is this for real or is this cat completely out to left field?’ And you’re never supposed to know what is going on. Our position is to keep the shit completely confused. It’s in a lot of people’s work- Duchamp, Beuys.” (David Hammons in an interview by D. M. Rothschild, “Reflections of a Long Distance Runner”, taken from Triplc Candie, ed., David Hammons; the unauthorized retrospective, New York, 2006, n.p.).

Through carefully choosing his materials and settings, Hammons is scanning this notion of being black with a "mix of wit, high flying absurdity and lyrical funk." (R. Rugoff, David Hammons: Public Nuisance, Rubble Rouser, Hometown Artist, p.12). While deeply rooted in his own heritage and the artistic traditions of Dadaism, Surrealism and Minimalism the crucial source and inspiration in Hammons' work is ultimately New York's street life, which he combines with installations and performance art. “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.” (M. Kimmelman, “Giving Voice to the Ephemeral”, The New York Times, April 16, 1990).

In the present lot, Untitled, 2004, Hammons returns to concepts of the 'found object' so often employed in previous work from his career, whilst maintaining the strong theme of social commentary and confrontation. His use of found objects differs largely from that of Pop Art. Rather then duplicating the artificiality produced from a consumerist society, Hammons' items are confused, muddled and seemingly haphazard in their arrangement, all the while also sharing a harmony in their chaos, a meaning which is shared more with Surrealism and Duchamp’s legacy of the ‘ready-made’.

Through the masks, Hammons is able to conjure the historical and cultural patina that lie within the objects themselves. As Franklin Sirmans explains, “It is this ability that firmly situates Hammons between the consummate contemporary conceptual artist in line with his hero Duchamp and the ‘outsider’ in line with Thorton Dial and a host of other artists in an Afro-Atlantic lineage. While Duchamp changed ways of seeing art by turning everyday objects into ‘ready-mades’, recontextualizing material and the meaning of an object, Hammons’ use of the materials of everyday existence goes further in its connection to humanity. His translation of humble materials into poetic forms yields his art’s essential character as content-driven abstraction, spiritual food for the soul.” (K. Bell, G. Lulay, and A. Whitney, eds., David Hammons: Selected Works, New York, 2006, n.p.).

Untitled, 2004 protrudes from the wall, proud and strong but simultaneously fragile. From our perspective, the work appears to remain together through the rope and intricate wires harnessed by Hammons. The inconceivable stature held together through minimal means launches our focal point into the structure: a wide assemblage of African tribal masks, the varying representations seem to mirror the diversity in humanity itself.

At the tip of the piece we are confronted by something which is at first alarming, disarming in its obscurity. The significance of the small handheld mirror is most obvious and arresting when seen head on. This organic, amorphous piece has a face—cunningly your face-- a human face. It is as though this musty cobbled together erection of mementos, artifacts and ideas is confronting us with ourselves. Hammons is forcing us to realize that all who look in the mirror see themselves, supported by the same force, the same human history. It is we who are tentatively supported and connected by the fragility of his work, and its mirrored effect on our own identity and shared human existence.
Artist Biography
David Hammons
American • 1943
Few artists are afforded the liberty to dictate exhibition schedules and public appearances, but David Hammons eschews the spotlight and rebels against the conventions of the art world. Whether intentionally or not, Hammons creates works so laden with spell-binding metaphor that they have become symbols for movements both in the art world as well as in the public domain. (His now-iconic In the Hood sculpture has been used by Black Lives Matter activist group.)
Hammons doesn't work in mediums or any formal or academic theory—he famously has said, "I can't stand art actually." Still, with controversial works including his PETA-paint-splashed Fur Coat sculpture, Hammons remains one of contemporary art's most watched artists. Hammons also doesn't frequently exhibit, and his last major gallery show, 2016's "Five Decades," only featured 34 works. With a controlled market, Hammons saw Untitled, a basketball hoop with dangling candelabra, achieve $8 million at Phillips in 2013.
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15

David Hammons

Untitled

2004
Wall-mounted sculpture comprised of 12 African masks, wood, metal, wire, rope, straw and mirror.
39 x 11 x 55 in. (99.1 x 27.9 x 139.7 cm).
Signed and dated “Hammons 04” on the reverse.

Estimate
$1,500,000 - 2,000,000

Sold for $1,496,000

Contemporary Art Part I

17 May 2007
7pm New York

1
Anselm Reyle
Untitled
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $192,000
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2
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Black Butterfly over Lime)
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $360,000
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3
Mark Handforth
Schlosspark
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $144,000
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4
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $734,400
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5
Rosemarie Trockel
Gewohnheitstier 2 (Reh) [Creature of Habit 2 (Deer)]
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $312,000
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6
Ugo Rondinone
No. 80, ACHTZEHNTERJUNINEUN ZEHNHUNDERTSECHSUNDNEUNZIG
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $216,000
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7
Cecily Brown
Black Painting No. 6
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $992,000
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8
Tim Noble and Sue Webster
The Sweet Smell of Excess
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $312,000
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9
Richard Phillips
Lippen Beißer (Lip-Biter)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $384,000
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10
Johannes Kahrs
Eifer-sucht (Jealousy)
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $228,000
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11
Bill Viola
The Quintet of the Silent
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
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12
Zhan Wang
Artificial Rock #42
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $288,000
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13
Christopher Wool
Untitled (P359)
Estimate $350,000 - 450,000
Sold for $456,000
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14
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Untitled (Last Light)
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $228,000
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15
David Hammons
Untitled
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for $1,496,000
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16
Richard Prince
Anyone Can Find Me
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $576,000
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17
Mike Kelley
Missing Time Color Exercise (Reversed) No. 1
Estimate $475,000 - 600,000
Sold for $456,000
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18
Martin Kippenberger
Untitled
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $540,000
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19
Tom Friedman
Untitled
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
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20
Albert Oehlen
Spitzer Spion
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $456,000
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21
Fred Tomaselli
Butterfly Effect
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $336,000
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22
Matthew Ritchie
Trouble in Mind
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $216,000
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23
Olafur Eliasson
Colour Vision Kaleidoscope
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $192,000
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24
Franz Ackermann
Tastie Break
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $72,000
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25
Elizabeth Peyton
Franz Ackermann 1995
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $204,000
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26
Glenn Brown
I do not feel embarrassed at attempting to express sadness and loneliness
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $656,000
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27
Glenn Brown
These Days
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $114,000
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28
Fang Lijun
2006.1.1.
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $576,000
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29
Takashi Murakami
Tightrope Walker and Hospital
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $408,000
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30
Damien Hirst
Loss of Memory is Worse than Death
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $600,000
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31
Damien Hirst
Naja Haje
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $846,400
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32
John Baldessari
Hands / Horses (To Agree)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $880,000
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33
Donald Judd
Untitled (Swiss box progression)
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $768,000
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34
Dan Flavin
Puerto Rican Light (to Jeanie Blake) 2
Estimate $550,000 - 600,000
Sold for $456,000
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35
Gilbert & George
Shadow Blind
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $228,000
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36
Andy Warhol
Camouflage
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,496,000
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37
Donald Judd
Untitled
Estimate $500,000 - 600,000
Sold for $432,000
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38
Robert Ryman
Series #33 (White)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $480,000
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39
Ed Ruscha
The Major and the Minor
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
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40
Gerhard Richter
Drei Grau übereinander (Three greys one upon the other)
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $1,384,000
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41
On Kawara
‘Monday’ Sept. 6, 1999. ‘Today’ series No. 34
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
Sold for $456,000
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42
Richard Artschwager
Splatter Chair IV
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $156,000
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43
John Baldessari
Pink Pig, 2305 Highland Ave., National City, Calif.
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $456,000
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44
Dan Flavin
Untitled
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $336,000
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45
Gerhard Richter
Rot-Blau-Gelb (339/2) (Red, Blue, Yellow)
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $689,600
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46
Georg Baselitz
Untitled
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $264,000
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47
John Chamberlain
Untitled
Estimate $700,000 - 900,000
Sold for $1,384,000
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48
Claes Oldenburg
Ice Cream Display
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $120,000
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49
Mel Ramos
Miss Martini #2
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $300,000
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50
Andy Warhol
Colored Campbell’s Soup Can
Estimate $4,150,000 - 4,150,000
Sold for $3,400,000
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51
Richard Pettibone
Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe 1964
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $156,000
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52
Sturtevant
Johns Green Target
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $210,000
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53
Mike Bidlo
Lavender Mist
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $420,000
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54
Andy Warhol
Camouflage
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $712,000
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55
James Rosenquist
Untitled (Yellow Flowers)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $656,000
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56
David Salle
To Count Steps With
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $192,000
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57
Juan Muñoz
Several Figures
Estimate $180,000 - 250,000
Sold for $384,000
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58
Jiri Georg Dokoupil
Zigarette mit Streichhölzern (aus der Schnuller-Bilder Serie) [Cigarette with Matches (from the Pacifier Series)]
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $312,000
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59
John Baldessari
The overlap Series: Street Scene and Reclining Person (with shoes)
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $384,000
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60
Sherrie Levine
Check #6
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $102,000
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61
Jeff Koons
Find a Quiet Table
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $824,000
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62
Peter Fischli and David Weiss
Cactus
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $120,000
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63
Richard Prince
Untitled (girlfriend)
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $318,000
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64
Francesco Vezzoli
Crying Divas From The Screenplays of an Embroiderer I
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $300,000
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65
Paul Pfeiffer
Long Count III (Thrilla in Manila)
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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66
Zhang Xiaogang
In-Out Series No. 8
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
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67
Wilhelm Sasnal
Untitled (Wheels)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $192,000
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68
Albert Oehlen
Fibreglass Scroll
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $288,000
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69
Franz West
Untitled
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $78,000
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70
Neo Rauch
Kamin (Fireplace)
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $712,000
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71
Eberhard Havekost
Kontakt (Contact)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $90,000
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72
Keith Tyson
Artmachine Iteration: A photograph about nothing (in and out of focus)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
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73
George Condo
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $168,000
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74
Wang Guangyi
Great Criticism- Coca Cola
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $432,000
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Contemporary Art Part I

17 May 2007 7pm New York

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Provenance

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

David Hammons

15

David Hammons

Untitled

Contemporary Art Part I

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17 May 2007
7pm New York