Provenance
Garth Clark Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owners, 1998
Literature
Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Caravan: A parade of beakers, bottles, bowls, jugs and cups, exh. cat., Tate St Ives, 2004, pp. 5-6, 11, 13, 15, 19, 23, 25, 31 for similar examples
Jason Smith, Gwyn Hanssen Pigott: A Survey 1955-2005, exh. cat., National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2005, pp. 36, 49, 52, 55-57, 60-61, 63, 68, 103 for similar examples
Catalogue Essay
In the late 1980s, Australian ceramist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott began arranging her ceramic bottles, bowls, and cups into groups that she titled Still Life. The present lot is an example of one of these works, now considered her hallmark artistic achievement. In both form and color, the pieces resemble and take inspiration from the works depicted in Giorgio Morandi’s paintings titled Natura morte or “Still Life.” The complementary pastel colors of the individual pieces come together to form a cohesive group that is a work of art rather than an assortment of utilitarian objects, gracefully merging the boundaries of art and design. The artist described this balance, saying, “I love to tread the fine line between the static and the lively.” Hanssen Pigott's work is in the permanent collections of multiple institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Property from the Collection of Diane and Marc Grainer

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott

"Still Life"

1998
Porcelain, celadon glaze.
Tallest: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm) high
Underside of 7 pieces impressed with artist's seal.

Estimate
$4,000 - 6,000

Sold for $28,750

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New York Auction 17 December 2019