Juan Muñoz - Contemporary Art Day Sale London Friday, October 17, 2008 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot, Paris

  • Catalogue Essay

    Between 1989 and 1991, Muñoz’s interest in the figure led him to make a series of ballerinas. Careful not to fall into realism, he gave them a bulbous base in place of their legs so that, paradoxically, they are incapable of the supple movements that define a ballerina. Muñoz described the figures as being ‘about endlessly moving, but always finding herself in the same space’. He was also conscious of the art-historical associations between ballerinas and the paintings of the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. (www.tate.org.uk)
    These five mini sculptures, in their vibrant yet inanimate poses resemble actors on a stage, drawing the viewer into a foreign place that is only understood and appreciated by the subjects involved. As the viewer confronts the work, the figures exude an atmospheric of theatricality and spectatorship, coaxing the viewer to disconnect themselves from reality and engage with them in their secret dialogue.

33

Untitled

1993
Clay and iron.
63 x 67 x 30 cm. (24 3/4 x 26 3/8 x 11 3/4 in).

Estimate
£100,000 - 150,000 

Contemporary Art Day Sale

18 Oct 2008 2pm
London