Toland Grinnell - Under the Influence New York Friday, September 23, 2011 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Basilico Fine Arts, New York

  • Literature

    J. Avgikos, "The Spectacle of Decline: Toland Grinnell Reminds us of Past Glory," Siksi Playlist, Spring 1987, p. 3

  • Catalogue Essay

    Brooklyn-born artist Toland Grinnell is best recognized for his elaborate mixed-media constructions that tend to depict imaginary worlds within worlds. This theme associated with Grinnell’s work is even implicit within Mast, 1996-97, a piece specifically commissioned by the artist for an exhibition in the Canary Islands. This exhibition, “Islas,” at the Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno featured work from twenty selected artists, who created pieces according to what the curator described as “the island feel.” To Grinnell, this island feel brought up ideas of enclosure and isolation, resonated by the feeling of displacement on a small island. Mast is an embellished container of glass and plaster, creating a juxtaposition of hard and soft, and contains a rolled sail made of synthetic material. The sail is inherent with island life, but remains enclosed in its casing, symbolizing island as an enclosed place. Mast, like much of the work in Grinnell’s oeuvre, presents what the artist describes as surface meaning and sub-surface meaning, a secret narrative inside the artwork.

THIS LOT IS SOLD WITH NO RESERVE

279

Lot offered with No Reserve

Mast

1996-1997
Glass and vinyl.
36 x 29 x 138 in. (91.4 x 73.7 x 350.5 cm)

Estimate
$4,000 - 6,000 

Sold for $63

Under the Influence

23 September 2011
New York