Provenance
Private Collection
Exhibited
New York, Sonnabend Gallery, New Photo-Pieces, Solo, 1 January - 31 December 1980
Catalogue Essay
Gilbert & George, a duo who first caused controversy in their ‘living sculptures’ of the 1970s, here explore themes of life and the human condition. George Passmore and Gilbert Proesch met at St Martin’s School of Art in 1967, and rapidly formed a partnership that has lasted their career. Their work is critical of normative hetero society - depicting cultural taboos and challenging artistic conventions.

The present lot demonstrates Gilbert & George’s bold engagement with sensitive issues: ‘We are dealing with universal subjects: death, hope, life, fear, sex, money, race, religion – these are things that are relevant to everybody’ (Artist Biography: Gilbert & George, February 2007, www.tate.org.uk). They have returned to the theme of the crucifixion a number of times, attracted to such a powerful image of pain and vulnerability. This image is not an expression of religious faith, but rather an exploration of the shared human experience of suffering. For the artists, Jesus’s suffering is a metaphor for a universal truth: "Our subject matter is the world. It is pain. Pain. Just to hear the world turning is pain, isn’t it? Totally, every day, every second. Our inspiration is all those people alive today on the planet, the desert, the jungle, the cities. We are interested in the human person, the complexity of life" (Artist Biography: Gilbert & George, www.whitecube.com). Unafraid to tackle such an iconic image, they impose their trademark format of the large grid, thereby fracturing the image of Christ on the cross. This work shares a common theme across their work: a rigorous examination of the body, often using their own, and the ego. The suffering of Jesus can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the sacrifice and personal investment of the artist to create a powerful work of art. The image of Jesus therefore represents the potential wealth of human emotion, "as a figure of pain, it’s extraordinarily powerful" (Artist Biography: Gilbert & George, www.tate.org.uk).

14

Gilbert & George

Tree Jesus

1980
sixteen silver gelatin prints, in artist's frames
242 x 202 cm (95 1/4 x 79 1/2 in.)
Signed, titled and dated ‘TREE JESUS Gilbert and George 1980’ lower right.

Estimate
£80,000 - 120,000 ‡♠

Sold for £86,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London
psumner@phillips.com
+44 207 318 4063

Contemporary Evening Sale

London Auction 2 July 2014 7pm

1
David Ostrowski
F (Gee Vaucher)
Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 ♠†
Sold for £170,500
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2
Tauba Auerbach
Untitled (Fold)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £386,500
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3
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ♠
Sold for £842,500
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4
Lucien Smith
Boys Don't Cry
Estimate £40,000 - 60,000 ‡
Sold for £116,500
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5
Wade Guyton
Untitled
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡
Sold for £602,500
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6
Mark Bradford
An Opening On The Left
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000
Sold for £698,500
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7
Sterling Ruby
SP33
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 †
Sold for £542,500
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8
Richard Prince
My Life as a Weapon
Estimate £550,000 - 750,000 ‡
Sold for £680,500
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9
Andy Warhol
Self-Portrait
Estimate £2,500,000 - 3,500,000 ‡
Sold for £2,882,500
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10
Damien Hirst
Lucy
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡♠
Sold for £290,500
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11
This lot is no longer available.
12
Antony Gormley
Domain XI (Freefall)
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ♠
Sold for £182,500
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13
Anish Kapoor
Untitled
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £812,500
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14
Gilbert & George
Tree Jesus
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡♠
Sold for £86,500
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15
Ed Ruscha
Spots
Estimate £180,000 - 250,000
Sold for £230,500
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16
Anselm Kiefer
Alexandria
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
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17
This lot is no longer available.
18
Robert Morris
Untitled (Brown Felt)
Estimate £180,000 - 250,000
Sold for £158,500
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19
Robert Mangold
Column Structure XXII A
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000
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20
Ed Ruscha
Reef
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000
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21
Ai Weiwei
Marble Chair
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000
Sold for £92,500
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22
Zhang Huan
Family Tree
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £206,500
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23
Adriana Varejão
A Grande Curva
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £422,500
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24
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡♠
Sold for £122,500
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25
Jacob Kassay
Untitled
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £164,500
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26
Mark Flood
Mineral
Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 ‡
Sold for £86,500
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27
Ashley Bickerton
Stratified Landscape #3
Estimate £40,000 - 60,000 ‡
Sold for £43,750
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28
Alex Hubbard
Rockaway One
Estimate £40,000 - 60,000 ‡
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29
KAWS
Projector
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000
Sold for £98,500
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Contemporary Evening Sale

London Auction 2 July 2014 7pm

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Provenance

Exhibited

Catalogue Essay

14

Gilbert & George

Tree Jesus

Contemporary Evening Sale

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