David Hammons - Contemporary Art Day Sale New York Friday, May 11, 2012 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Private Collection

  • Exhibited

    New York, Tilton Gallery, La Object & David Hammons Body Prints, October 20 – November 25, 2006
    Los Angeles, California State University, Fine Arts Gallery, David Hammons: Selected Works 1968-1974, September 29 – October 17, 1974

  • Catalogue Essay

    "I was trying to figure out why black people were called spades, as opposed to clubs. Because I remember being called a spade once, and I didn’t know what it meant… so I took the shape, and started painting it." – David Hammons

  • 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. 

    View More Works

141

Spades

1972
silkscreened body print in artist's frame
24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (62.2 x 47 cm)
Signed, titled, and numbered "Hammons, Spades, 5/50" along the lower margin. This work is number five from an edition of 50, of which only six were made.

Estimate
$100,000 - 150,000 

Sold for $104,500

Contemporary Art Day Sale

Contemporary Art Day
11 May 2012
New York