In 1965, Richard Pettibone met Andy Warhol at The Factory and shared with him the small scale miniature paintings he created of Warhol’s work, most notably his iconic Campbell’s Soup cans. Delighted, Warhol made a quick introduction to his own dealer, Ivan Karp of the famed Castelli Gallery in New York. From that introduction, Pettibone’s career as master of miniaturization, with a skilled, highly technical appropriation of renowned artists and their modern masterpieces, was established.
The Polaroids on offer (lots 231-232), Helmut Newton, ‘Giant and Nude’, Paris, 1974, 1979 and Helmut Newton, ‘Le temps des joyaux, French Vogue’, 1979, 1980, are a continuation of the appropriation that started with Pettibone’s interest in Warhol’s paintings and continued to develop through appropriation of other artists and mediums. To create each work, Pettibone photographed illustrations of Helmut Newton’s work from one of the photographer’s monographs. To add his own signature, Pettibone then hand-painted vibrant, geometric lines on each surface, further distinguishing the already unique prints as individual works of art. Through this complex exchange of transmediation, Pettibone creates a layered, visual effect that is quintessential to his work.