Provenance
Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles
Exhibited
Los Angeles, Gagosian Gallery, MARK TANSEY, April 19 - May 27, 2011
Literature
MARK TANSEY, exh. cat., Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles, 2011, cover (illustrated), pp. 44-57 (illustrated)
Catalogue Essay
"A painted picture is a vehicle. You can sit in your driveway and take it apart or you can get in it and go somewhere." Mark Tansey

Mark Tansey is one of the most important representational painters of our current age whose brilliant abilities are matched by his ribald and wide-ranging intellect. The present lot, Tansey’s Hedge of 2011 is a true masterwork exhibiting all of the hallmarks so highly sought-after by the worlds most erudite and inspiring private collectors and museums. While each painting by Tansey is a unique universe unto itself, all of the best works capture realistic though fantastical scenes of staggering breadth most often set in the natural world. In these dramatized landscapes, Tansey is most often-illustrating highly complex art historical theories and arguments in a playful, but insightful manner. In fact, each of Tansey’s paintings contains a carefully constructed ode to the history and meanings of art and the uninterrupted human impulse to make and share images.

The current lot typifies Tansey’s most accomplished paintings. Hedge is realized in a single aquamarine color, constructed in a painstaking photorealistic manner that in its elegance and simplicity masks the intricate labor required for its rendering. We are watching a master at work; using simple acts of scraping and washing of pigment along with subtle brushstrokesc Tansey is able to realize a fantastical mountain scape that seems to burst forth with icy resolution. But as often is the case with the artist, not all is as it seems. Cascading down the mountain is a massive avalanche that seems to tumble down from the sky, creating a violent whirlwind down the right hand quadrant of the picture plane. Tansey has resolved this violence in such a way that it is hard to tell when the mass of moving snow begins and the sky ends; or is it the other way around? Tansey is well known in the most important of his paintings to play with a perverted sense of symmetry, making down up and up down. If one were to rotate the image in any way 90 degrees our entire conception of the scene changes, but retains it’s gravity. Up can be down and down up in an endless seeming multiplicity of possibilities.

While the central mountain remains stable in Hedge, each side top and bottom can be seen as the cresting peak, the flows of ice and snow becoming clouds and those very same clouds become snow. And yet, in what at first viewing is a landscape is also a narrative picture telling a story in snap-shot – in the middle left and lower right we see a series of Paragliders swooping and flying through the air. However like the landscape itself, the orientation of these figures is up for debate and destabilized. Each has a parachute above and below, calling into question the orientation of gravity and their direction of flight. The figures seem to move in two directions at once, further destabilizing our possibility of seeing and making sense. If the best of art tells us the stories of our age this masterwork speaks to a time without beginning or end, where all possibilities, outcomes and realities are contested and up for debate.

It is in this destabilization where the true genius of Tansey becomes realized. As a viewer we are left to question our own faculties creating an iconic image that is timeless and gives itself over to a lifetime of powerful viewing. While a static image it seems to become alive in front of us exhibiting a wall-power that radiates and bursts forth.

Hedge is both representational of the artist’s oeuvre while maintaining an exceptionalism that puts it in a class by itself. Brought to life in a luminescent ultramarine color that combines the depth and complexities of black with the bright lightness of blue, the canvas is reimagined as though it were an architectural blueprint. At first glance this impressively sized canvas is a straightforward mountain scene, an impressive peak bursting forth through cloud cover, conveying the strength and fortitude called upon by contemporary artists such as Prince or Ruscha – the human concurring of nature. Yet on further study Hedge is less about mastering than majesty. The rocky behemoth is rendered in its single hue in a photorealistic quality brought about by a complex set of painterly movements including the application of gesso and scrapping, washing and brushing of the ultramarine color. In its mastery of technique as well as the historicizing monotone construction the work builds in the viewer a deep feeling of awe. Tansey is not unaware of the feeling of awe at the natural world that this painting will instill in a viewer and it is the result of specific and reasonable series of choices the artist has made. This feeling of standing at the precipice – of getting punched in the gut by the power of nature in front of oneself is a subtle play by the artist towards longstanding notions of the sublime, most often illustrated by the iconic nature paintings of Caspar David Friedrich.

The works of Friedrich, as in Tansey’s Hedge teeter on the edge of religiosity in the manner they are meant to inspire feelings of awe and belittlement in the face of the majesty of nature. This feeling of separation, of the smallness of self or of individuality, this type of fissure that is created in the subject is concretely linked to notions of the Kantian sublime. It is this almost emancipatory moment when confronted with the greatness of nature, and yes of a stupendous picture such as Hedge, that illustrates the sublime in physical, manifest form. Tansey’s best works are an investigation of the sublime and as such a true deconstruction of us as viewers. While Kant is best known as a proponent of the Sublime, it is perhaps Edmund Burke’s conceptualization that is best utilized to understand the import of Tansey’s paintings, as for Burke it is at the point of the realization of the physical limitations of the subject (or self) in the face of nature where-in the possibilities of moral, or spiritual transcendence are located. And it is in this location where-in the possibilities of painting and of art are located and it here where-in the genius of Tansey makes a laser-guided strike. For it is in the moment of awe where-in the self is most open to a radical re-imagination of what can and can not be and it is here that art can best realize emancipatory possibilities for individual and collective change. It is here where art enacts its timeless and enduring thrall, were it makes us stand in slack-jawed awe day after day in front of the most enduring images of our age.

Yet Tansey—who grew up in a family of art historians—does not simply leave things there. Instead Tansey gives nature and our previous notions of the sublime a dark, violent, confusing edge. He is not content to allow us to take it easy; instead of the simple majesty of a vista – as in Friedrich or Prince or even Ruscha – Tansey allows the worm to turn. Once one is open to it, after the body, eye and mind has relaxed into the sublime via the historicized, naturalistic representation we notice that not all is right in this mountain vista. First there is that avalanche; the raw power of nature not just to awe but here to injure – to manifest the furious power of Mother Nature’s anger. The same powers that open us up to emancipation can also blind-side us, turning in an instant with nary a warning. Here the forces of gravity, ice nature and caprice build up a furious energy cascading down the mountain. As it is rendered in such photo-realistic style we at first don’t notice the massive scale of the avalanche, seeming to cascade down the entire height of the peak itself. There is a surreal, imposable quality here often found in Tansey’s works; yet as it is so perfectly rendered it seems perfectly natural and normative until we look closer. The photorealistic rendering relaxes us into a state of awe that is punctuated by the impossibility to reconcile the reality with our knowledge of the laws of nature and ocular sense.

Hedge is a singular work that possesses an almost uncanny ability to throw our understanding of the world into flux, and it is herein, from which its superior power flows forth. By destabilizing us at an almost molecular level the work has the ability to open up new possibilities for us - to tell our most human and universal stories. Tansey is a true master playing with the history of painting and art and us a species that tells our most important stories through this medium. He manages to get us to question the most basic facts about ourselves and how we make sense of the world while at the same time seducing us with visual pleasure. He is the rare artist who is able to re-imagine our world, to allow us to re-imagine who we are and who we want to be.

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION

Ο12

Mark Tansey

Hedge

2011
oil on canvas
79 1/2 x 80 in. (201.9 x 203.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated "Tansey 2011 'Hedge'" on the reverse.

Estimate
$3,500,000 - 4,500,000

Sold for $5,653,000

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Amanda Stoffel
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New York
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Evening Sale 14 May 2015 7pm

1
Seth Price
Vintage Bomber
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
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2
Danh Vo
We the People (detail)
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3
Jim Hodges
See II
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4
Joe Bradley
Police Painting 2
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
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5
Urs Fischer
Untitled (Candle)
Estimate $1,400,000 - 1,800,000
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6
Richard Prince
Untitled (Protest Painting)
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
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7
Christopher Wool
Untitled (S176)
Estimate $1,400,000 - 1,800,000
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8
Cindy Sherman
Untitled #470
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
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9
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Krong Thip (Torso)
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
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10
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Sold for $4,757,000
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11
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,145,000
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12
Mark Tansey
Hedge
Estimate $3,500,000 - 4,500,000
Sold for $5,653,000
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13
Robert Ryman
Untitled
Estimate $700,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for $965,000
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14
John Chamberlain
Untitled (Tiny Piece)
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $185,000
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15
John Chamberlain
Untitled
Estimate $700,000 - 1,000,000
Sold for $665,000
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16
John Chamberlain
Opinion Hurling
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $221,000
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17
Brice Marden
Elements (Hydra)
Estimate $8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Sold for $9,237,000
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18
Fred Sandback
Broadway Boogie Woogie (Sculptural Study, Twenty-two part Vertical Construction)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $545,000
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19
Ed Ruscha
Porch Crop
Estimate $1,800,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for $2,165,000
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20
Ed Ruscha
Fee
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $389,000
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21
Ed Ruscha
Rooster
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
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22
Ed Ruscha
Psycho Spaghetti Western #8
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
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23
James Lee Byars
Eros
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $425,000
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24
James Lee Byars
The Figure of Death
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $761,000
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25
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
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26
Rachel Whiteread
Block
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Sold for $125,000
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27
Andreas Gursky
James Bond Island II
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
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28
Jeff Wall
The Bridge
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
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29
Carroll Dunham
Time Storm Three (Tree of Life)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
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30
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $845,000
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31
Alexander Calder
Janey Waney (intermediate maquette)
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
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32
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
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33
Francis Bacon
Seated Woman
Estimate $25,000,000 - 35,000,000
Sold for $28,165,000
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34
Pablo Picasso
Buste de Mousquetaire
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,629,000
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35
Constantin Brancusi
L'Enfant endormi
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
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36
Fernand Léger
Objets dans l'espace (Objects in space)
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
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37
Frank Stella
Double Scramble
Estimate $2,000,000 - 2,500,000
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38
Helen Frankenthaler
Pavillion
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,145,000
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39
Larry Poons
Jessica's Hartford
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,109,000
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40
Jules Olitski
Basium Blush
Estimate $350,000 - 450,000
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41
Frank Stella
La prima spada e l'ultima scopa
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $725,000
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42
Kenneth Noland
Mysteries: Aglow
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $605,000
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43
Dan Flavin
"monument" for V. Tatlin
Estimate $1,800,000 - 2,500,000
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44
Agnes Martin
Untitled #7
Estimate $2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Sold for $4,197,000
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45
Donald Judd
Untitled
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $965,000
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46
Robert Ryman
Sign
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,500,000
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47
Anselm Kiefer
San Loretto
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $1,025,000
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48
Gerhard Richter
Grey (Grau)
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,085,000
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49
Neo Rauch
Fastnacht
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $905,000
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50
Georg Baselitz
Gelb No
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
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51
Andreas Gursky
Dortmund
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
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52
Günther Förg
Ohne Titel
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $581,000
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53
Günther Förg
Ohne Titel
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $341,000
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54
This lot is no longer available.
55
Wayne Thiebaud
Hamburger Counter
Estimate $1,200,000 - 1,800,000
Sold for $2,165,000
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56
Tom Wesselmann
Still Life with Blue Jar and Smoking Cigarette (flat)
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
Sold for $1,385,000
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57
John Currin
The Owens
Estimate $1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for $1,685,000
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58
Robert Indiana
A President's Beloved Norma Jean
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
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59
This lot is no longer available.
60
Alberto Giacometti
Tête de Diego au col roulé
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
Sold for $1,085,000
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61
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (Wooden Triptych)
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
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62
Takashi Murakami
Army of Mushrooms
Estimate $700,000 - 1,000,000
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63
Takashi Murakami
Jellyfish Eyes - Saki
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
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64
Ai Weiwei
Coca-Cola
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
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65
Alex Israel
Untitled (Flat)
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $365,000
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66
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Blonde Butterfly 804)
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $455,000
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67
Sterling Ruby
SP196
Estimate $500,000 - 700,000
Sold for $665,000
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68
Tauba Auerbach
Crease I
Estimate $1,000,000 - 1,500,000
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69
Danh Vo
Cease to know or to tell. Or to see or to be your own. Have someone else's will as your own
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $233,000
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70
Nate Lowman
White Maxima
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $221,000
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71
Joe Bradley
Pig
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $725,000
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72
Jonas Wood
B. Taschen
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Evening Sale 14 May 2015 7pm

Create your first list.

Provenance

Exhibited

Literature

Catalogue Essay

Ο12

Mark Tansey

Hedge

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

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