Hank Willis Thomas - 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session New York Wednesday, November 16, 2022 | Phillips

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale,...

New York Auction 16 November 2022

  • Hank Willis Thomas’ The Hand of God, 2017, explores the intersection of art, sports and geopolitics in a clever interpretation of Diego Maradona’s infamous World Cup goal in 1986. First exhibited in the artist’s exhibition The Beautiful Game at Ben Brown Fine Arts in 2017, the present work draws upon the zealous culture of the sport while nodding to its ties to nationalism and colonialism. Within football, Willis Thomas identifies a socially acceptable form of division along tribal lines, but also something that so fervently unites and energizes fans across the world. Executed with an iridescent chrome finish, the present work highlights the lucrative aspects of an enterprise which relies heavily on the labor and skill of international players, including many from the African diaspora.

     

    Diego Maradona and “The Hand of God”

     

    “Un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios” 

     

    June 22, 1986: Argentina beat England in the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup. 

     

    Argentine footballer Diego Maradona’s hand, balled into a fist, gave his team a 1-0 lead. The goal was scored illegally but the referee had not seen exactly what had happened, and so it was allowed. Argentina went on to win the World Cup that year.

     

    • Provenance

      Ben Brown Fine Arts, Hong Kong
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

    • Exhibited

      London, Ben Brown Fine Arts, The Beautiful Game, October 5–November 24, 2017 (another example exhibited)
      Paris, Magasins Généraux, Par amour du jeu 1998–2018, June 9–August 5, 2018 (another example exhibited)

    • Literature

      Naomi Rea, "Hank Willis Thomas on His New Work, Charlottesville, and Modernism's Debt to African Art," Artnet News, October 3, 2017, online (another example illustrated)
      George Vecsey, "Artist Sews Together Sports and Geopolitics," The New York Times, October 4, 2017, online (another example illustrated)
      Tim Jonze, "Hank Willis Thomas: why does America's great protest artist think things are better under Trump?" The Guardian, October 10, 2017, online (another example illustrated)
      Barney Trimble, "Hank Willis Thomas' Politics of Sport," Art Aesthetics Magazine, November 9, 2017, online (another example illustrated)
      Stephanie Bailey, "Hank Willis Thomas," Artforum, January 2018, p. 223
      "The Irresistible Power and Performance of the Football Match," Elephant, June 14, 2018, online (another example illustrated)
      "Football et société au centre de l'exposition "Par amour du jeu 1998-2018,"" France 24, July 7, 2018, online (another example illustrated)

367

Hank Willis Thomas

Hand of God

numbered "ED #2" on the underside
fiberglass and chameleon auto paint finish
19 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. (49.5 x 34.9 x 22.5 cm)
Executed in 2017, this work is number 2 from an edition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$50,000 - 70,000 

Sold for $63,000

Contact Specialist

Patrizia Koenig
Specialist, Head of Day Sale, Afternoon Session
+1 212 940 1279
pkoenig@phillips.com

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Afternoon Session

New York Auction 16 November 2022