Inka Essenhigh - Contemporary Evening Sale London Sunday, July 5, 2009 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Provenance

    Victoria Miro Gallery, London; Collection Nicholas and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, New York

  • Exhibited

    London, Victoria Miro Gallery, Inka Essenhigh, 29 October - 7 December, 2002; Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Painting Pictures. Painting and Media in the Digital Age, 1 March - 29 June, 2003

  • Literature

    Exhibition catalogue, Victoria Miro Gallery, Inka Essenhigh, London, 2002, plate 4, p. 28 and pp. 62 - 63 (illustrated); Exhibition catalogue, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Painting Pictures. Painting and Media in the Digital Age, Bielefeld, 2003, p. 184 (illustrated); H. M. Sheets, “Swirls, Whirls & Mermaid Girls,” ArtNews, New York, May, 2004, p. 138 (illustrated)

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present lot, a large scale canvas depicting a renowned scene from Greek mythology, is a turning point in the artist's highly acclaimed and rich oeuvre. Executed in 2001, Pegasus is the first painting in which Essenhigh used oil paint instead of enamel-she began painting in enamels but abruptly switched to oils midway through her career. Although harder to control, oils have allowed the artist to more fully render the elaborate and detailed features of the hybrid creatures which populate her mysterious landscapes.Executed in a flat, cartoon-like manner against a neutral background, Essenhigh depicts the pivotal moment in the legend of the winged horse Pegasus and the young prince Bellerophon who believes he is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. After embroiling with the Kings of Asia Minor who want to inflict harm upon him, Bellerophon is sent on a suicidal mission to slay the Chimera, a multi-headed monster with fiery breath. However, having enlisted the help of Pegasus, Bellerophon returns victorious. He is venerated by all but becomes conceited. So convinced is he of his parentage and his status as a deity that he urges Pegasus on to Mount Olympus in order to take his place amongst the Gods. Zeus, King of the Gods, punishes Bellerophon's blasphemous act by stinging Pegasus' rear causing the winged horse to buck and throw Bellerophon off its back-the instant beautifully depicted in the present lot. Commenting on the tragic fate of mankind, Essenhigh illustrates the moment Bellerophon falls from grace and is condemned to wander the earth lame and blind, alone and unrecognized.The loyal Pegasus on the other hand is invited to roam free in Zeus' private golden stable and is immortalized as a constellation.

33

Pegasus

2001
Oil on canvas.
267 x 219 cm. (105 1/8 x 86 1/4 in).
Signed, titled and dated 'Inka Essenhigh 2001 "Pegasus"' on the reverse.

Estimate
£60,000 - 80,000 ≠†

Contemporary Evening Sale

29 June 2009, 7pm
London