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"Hair itself is amorphous, but you can shape it; it's inert and alive at once....What I like about hair in painting is the pattern and repetitiveness, which is hypnotic and attractive.”
— Julie CurtissPainted in 2018, shortly before French-Vietnamese artist Julie Curtiss’ launch to the height of critical success following her first solo exhibition at the Anton Kern Gallery in Spring the following year, Escargot is a marvellous painting from her distinctive body of work. Playfully alluding to the work’s title, the protagonist is spotlighted against a rosy mocha background, her hair tightly twisted into two spiralling buns reminiscent of coiling snail shells. Drawing an instant comparison to Gerhard Richter’s famed Betty (1988), the subject of the present work turns away from us, evoking an air of mystery through the concealment of her face - a signature feature of Curtiss’ compositions explored by the artist to ‘point to the elusively of the self’. As she explains, ‘I can allude to a character’s personality and internal life by dropping clues here and there, and leave to the viewer the task of piecing the puzzle together.’i
Gerhard Richter, Betty, 1988
Collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum, USAThe Subversive Power of Hair
Born in Paris in 1982, Curtiss obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from l’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Art. It was not until she commenced her formal training at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2005, however, that Curtiss cites a critical turning point in her perception of the world. Immersing herself into the city’s thriving art culture and subculture scenes, she simultaneously found inspiration in the works of the Chicago Imagists – alumni of her college including Jim Falconer, Gladys Nilsson, and Christine Ramberg– the latter of whom Curtiss’ work is often compared to for their shared interest in the portrayal of hair to explore perceptions of identity and femininity.
Bridget Riley, Fall, 1963, Collection of the Tate, London
© Bridget Riley 2021. All rights reserved.Indeed, like Ramberg, Curtiss transforms tangible elements into abstract entities on her canvas, rendered with dramatic shadow that helps to add a curious sense of shallow depth also preferred by the likes of KAWS, whom Curtiss worked for between 2014-2018. This nods to her interest in popular culture imagery, comic books and Japanese manga – which perhaps can also be seen in the Princess Leia space-buns the subject of the present work dons.
Contributing to this aesthetic is Curtiss’ distinctive technique as she uses paints ‘that have a matte finish and that are highly pigmented’ii to achieve a similar effect to gouache. And yet, despite the fact that her works are instantly recognisable for their graphic-like, flattened aesthetic– which immediately caught the eye of artist Loie Hollowell who ‘had to see [Curtiss’ work] in person because Instagram lies’iii– there is a Bridget Riley-esque hypnotic haze evoked by the repetitive details, such as the vivid, linear contrasts that feather the Escargot girl’s coiling buns. Conveying twisted presentations of life’s familiar visuals, Curtiss masterfully balances the vague with the precise, and the representational with the surreal, to form dreamlike compositions that are at once fantastical and unsettling.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Star Wars, 1977“As long as I’ve made art, there’s always been hair… I’ve always been really interested in the artificial vs. the natural and this has been a constant theme in my work.”
— Julie CurtissHair as a defining feature of one’s identity has been explored throughout art history, from the flowing locks of Sandro Botticelli’s goddess of idealised beauty in The Birth of Venus (1485-1486), to the stylised coiffeurs of 18th and 19th century portraits, to Edgar Degas’ famous little dancer with her sculpted braid tied with a ribbon-bow. For Curtiss, the fascination with the motif began when, as a teenager, she ‘discovered old braids of hair belonging to [her] mother and [her] aunt in [her] attic,’ as she ‘realised there was this part of us that would remain long after we are gone.’iv
Left: Edgar Degas, The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer (detail), 1922 (cast), Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Right: Domenico Gnoli, Curly Red Hair, 1969
© 2021 Domenico Gnoli / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, RomeAnd whilst her tightly cropped framing further recalls the strategy of Italian painter Domenico Gnoli, whom too, imbues the banal qualities of hair with character and edge, it is not the depiction of hair itself that drives her concepts. As Curtiss explains: ‘it’s about all the things attached to it: intimacy, identity, culture, the concept of beauty, animality, primordiality. Hair is called an ‘accessory organ’. How weird is that! It’s alive and dead at once. I think a lot of my art is about the inside and outside, and hair grows in that direction. Covering objects with hair is a way for me to remind people that what we perceive from the outer world is suggestive, is tainted by our inner world.’v
Perfectly exemplifying Curtiss’ reworking of female representations through a surrealist sense of the uncanny, the protagonist of Escargot’s curling tendrils mesmerise in their repetitive, abstracted figuration. With no defining characteristics revealed by their turned away face, Curtiss powerfully reappropriates what she terms the ‘tools of communication and seduction’vi to explore the disharmony between the layered female psyche the objectified female form.
Julie Curtiss in the studio, 2020
Video Courtesy of White Cube
Collector’s Digest
Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Curtiss has mounted numerous exhibitions in recent years. This includes at the White Cube Gallery in London (2021), and Anton Kern Gallery in New York (2020, 2019). She has an upcoming solo show scheduled to open next year in New York at the Anton Kern Gallery.
Curtiss’ work is represented in a number of museum collections around the world, among which are the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Maki Collection, Japan; Bronx Museum, New York; Columbous Museum of Art, Ohio; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Yuz Museum in Shanghai.
Her top auction result was recently achieved by Phillips New York in June 2021 when Three Widows (2016) hammered down for US$466,200 plus Premium, against pre-sale estimates of US$110,000 – 150,000.
Julie Curtiss, Three Widows, 2016
Sold by Phillips New York on 23 June 2021 for US$466,200i Julie Curtiss, quoted in Maria Zemtsova, ‘Piecing the Puzzle in Julie Curtiss’ Paintings’, Art Maze Mag, 15 February 2019, online
ii Julie Curtiss, quoted in Emily Burns, ‘Q&A with Julie Curtiss’, Maake Magazine, online
iii Loie Hollowell, quoted in Dodie Kazanjian, ‘How Artist Julie Curtiss is Making Waves with Her Quirky, Macabre Neo-Surrealism, Vogue, 16 April 2020, online
iv Julie Curtiss, quoted in Evan Pricco, ‘Julie Curtiss: Where the Wild Things Are’, Juxtapoz, 2019, online
v Julie Curtiss, quoted in Marina Pérez, ‘Julie Curtiss: Visual Complexity’, Metal Magazine, online
vi Julie Curtiss, quoted in ‘Julie Curtiss artist profile’, White Cube, online
Provenance
T293, Rome
Private Collection, New York
Acquired from the above by the present ownerArtist Biography
Julie Curtiss
Born and raised in Paris, France, Julie Curtiss (b. 1982) now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Curtiss studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris.
The artist draws on a history of figurative painting including 18th- and 19th-century French painting, as well as the Chicago Imagists and the ‘pop’ imagery of comic books, manga and illustration. Frequent subject matter focuses on the deconstructed female body and symbols of stereotypical female aesthetics. There are similarities between Curtiss’ work and the painters of the female Surrealist movement of the early 20th century in the use of distorted perspectives, dreamscapes, and humor to reflect upon the female experience.
Curtiss’ work is represented in a number of museum collections, among which are Bronx Museum, New York; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; High Museum, Atlanta; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Maki Collection, Japan; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and Yuz Museum, Shanghai.
Property from an Important Collection
6
Escargot
signed, titled and dated 'Julie CuRTiSS "Escargot", 2018' on the reverse
vinyl paint and oil on canvas
45.7 x 35.6 cm. (18 x 14 in.)
Executed in 2018.
Estimate
HK$400,000 - 600,000
€45,300-68,000
$51,300-76,900
Sold for HK$1,449,000
Charlotte Raybaud
Head of Evening Sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
+852 2318 2026
CharlotteRaybaud@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Association with Poly Auction
Hong Kong Auction 30 November 2021
1
Cinga Samson
Ivory V
Estimate HK$250,000 - 350,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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2
Salman Toor
East Village Iqbal Bano
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$4,536,000
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3
Nina Chanel Abney
Untitled (IXI Black)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,024,000
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4
Jamian Juliano-Villani
Clear Cough from Your Schedule
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$781,200
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5
Mr.
Yume—Breath of the Earth
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$4,032,000
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6
Julie Curtiss
Escargot
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,449,000
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7
Javier Calleja
30 works: Untitled
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,108,000
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8
Javier Calleja
You Me
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 4,000,000
Sold for HK$7,026,000
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9
Aya Takano
In the Lab (the Birth of Jelly)
Estimate HK$200,000 - 300,000
Sold for HK$441,000
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10
Hernan Bas
Minimalism (cracking the code)
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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11
Joel Mesler
Untitled (Night Out)
Estimate HK$500,000 - 700,000
Sold for HK$1,512,000
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12
Shara Hughes
Magic Island
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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13
Scott Kahn
Cadman Plaza
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$7,510,000
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14
Matthew Wong
Nature’s Church
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$9,204,000
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15
Matthew Wong
Far Away Eyes
Estimate HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Sold for HK$21,183,000
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16
Gerhard Richter
Kerzenschein (Candle-light)
Estimate HK$55,000,000 - 75,000,000
Sold for HK$101,970,000
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17
This lot is no longer available.
18
Yayoi Kusama
INFINITY-NETS (OPRT)
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000
Sold for HK$22,635,000
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19
Yayoi Kusama
Repetition
Estimate HK$15,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$19,005,000
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20
Nicolas Party
Still Life
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,400,000
Sold for HK$17,190,000
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21
David Hockney
Bridlington Violets
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$12,350,000
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22
Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita
Self-Portrait with a Cat
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,292,000
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23
This lot is no longer available.
24
Sanyu
Paysage Aux Hirondelles
Estimate HK$26,000,000 - 46,000,000
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25
Zao Wou-Ki
Sans titre ("Notre Dame")
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$10,051,000
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26
Zao Wou-Ki
Brume d’automne
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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27
Auguste Rodin
Le Baiser, 1ère réduction dite aussi "réduction n°1"
Estimate HK$10,000,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
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28
Zao Wou-Ki
20.3.64.
Estimate HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Sold for HK$22,030,000
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29
This lot is no longer available.
30
Alexander Calder
Two Red Petals in the Air
Estimate HK$16,000,000 - 20,000,000
Sold for HK$20,820,000
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31
Claude Monet
Pavots dans un vase de Chine
Estimate HK$9,500,000 - 15,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
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32
Georges Mathieu
Saxifrage
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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33
This lot is no longer available.
34
Huang Yuxing
Floating Bubbles
Estimate HK$1,800,000 - 2,800,000
Sold for HK$2,772,000
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35
Zhou Chunya
Smell the Flowers
Estimate HK$5,000,000 - 7,000,000
Sold for HK$6,905,000
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36
This lot is no longer available.
37
Liu Ye
Flagship No. 2
Estimate HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for HK$5,922,000
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38
Wang Xingwei
Untitled (Heart-Shaped Dance)
Estimate HK$2,800,000 - 4,800,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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39
Liu Ye
Untitled
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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40
Liu Wei
You Like Smoking?
Estimate HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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41
Izumi Kato
Untitled
Estimate HK$4,500,000 - 7,500,000
Sold for HK$11,745,000
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42
Yoshitomo Nara
Pandora's Box
Estimate HK$7,500,000 - 10,000,000
Sold for HK$13,560,000
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43
George Condo
The Dreamer
Estimate HK$4,600,000 - 6,200,000
Sold for HK$11,140,000
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44
George Condo
Entangled Figures
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 9,200,000
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45
This lot is no longer available.
46
KAWS
NEW YORK
Estimate HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for HK$5,040,000
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47
KAWS
FINAL DAYS
Estimate HK$6,200,000 - 8,200,000
Sold for HK$8,115,000
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48
Raymond Pettibon
Untitled (Force makes nature...)
Estimate HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for HK$3,906,000
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49
Robert Nava
Angel Shark
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for HK$4,410,000
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50
Susumu Kamijo
Marching To The Sun
Estimate HK$450,000 - 650,000
Sold for HK$2,142,000
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51
Jadé Fadojutimi
Fishing For Steps
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$4,788,000
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52
Mickalene Thomas
Looking Up from the She Works Hard For the Money Pin-Up series
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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53
Billie Zangewa
Cirque d'hiver
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$567,000
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54
Godwin Champs Namuyimba
The Connector
Estimate HK$200,000 - 400,000
Sold for HK$1,323,000
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55
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Blue Ancestor
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,071,000
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56
Tomoo Gokita
Final Confrontation
Estimate HK$1,200,000 - 2,200,000
Sold for HK$2,520,000
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57
Ewa Juszkiewicz
Appropriation
Estimate HK$400,000 - 600,000
Sold for HK$1,890,000
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58
Lucas Arruda
Untitled from the series Deserto-Modelo
Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for HK$3,780,000
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