Provenance

Galerie Buchmann, Basel
Catalogue Essay

Tony Cragg reassesses, recycles, and re-examines materials in ways that have never been imagined in sculptural form before. His work is inspired not by a preconception, but by astute observation and attention to the world around him; through his reinvention and redefinition of materials, he seeks to decode the esoteric environment around us. This comes from a scientific approach, which is rooted in his background of working in biochemistry labs, investigation changing physical and chemical properties, forming his judicious and unwavering observation skills. His early projects reveal a strong analogy with the theoretical foundations of quantum physics, moving him out of the studio and into the environment in his search for materials. He began collecting things, reinventing them after being discarded as useless.
In his exploration, he started to investigate the tension between human structures and concealed natural processes. He sought new literal and metaphorical functions of the material and began to explore its place in the world. His work in the early 1980s is the after effect of an explosion from this investigation. In the present lot, Paysage avec Lac ( Landscape with Lake), 1985, the cubes have arranged themselves from the debris and wreckage into something vaguely familiar. This series of work was inspired by memories Cragg had of driving, noticing shapes as they pass by, some standing out andothers constantly blurred or shifting along the horizon. The scribbles all over the surface function like a map tracing the rapid motion of the eye as it gazes out of the window and follows the passing objects. The forms transform before our eyes into things our memories recognize; the shape of a building, the silhouette of a tree, the outline of a lake. The dichotomy of reinventing materials, yet recalling old memories is a truly fascinating and unparalleled concept. Landscape with Lake is a formation of something foreshadowed in the mind, but that does not actually exist in the natural world. It is a reflection of a feeling, a memory, a dream about the world and our existence. In explaining his work, Cragg reveals, “We find objects offering up meanings and emotions relating to their literal form, their metaphysics, their poetry, and their emergence from the natural world, or from their origins of nature” (“Tony Cragg,” Artforum, March 1988, p. 120).

31

Tony Cragg

Paysage avec Lac (Landscape with Lake)

1985

Oil stick on found wood and found metal.
82 x 99 x 64 in. (208.3 x 251.5 x 162.6 cm).

Estimate
$90,000 - 120,000

Contemporary Art Part I

12 Nov 2009
New York

1
Kelley Walker and Wade Guyton
Untitled (from the series Guyton \ Walker: Empire Strikes Back)
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $74,500
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2
Dash Snow
Polaroid Wall
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $50,000
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3
Mark Handforth
American Tristar
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
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4
Robert Longo
Untitled (Damien)
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
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5
Olafur Eliasson
1m³ light
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $362,500
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6
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
"Untitled"
Estimate $250,000 - 350,000
Sold for $542,500
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7
Jeff Koons
Ice Bucket
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $230,500
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8
Richard Prince
Untitled (four women with their backs to the camera)
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
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9
Yayoi Kusama
Infinity Nets (T.W.A.)
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $842,500
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10
Gilbert & George
Spell of Sweating
Estimate $180,000 - 250,000
Sold for $206,500
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11
Larry Bell
Untitled
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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12
Richard Artschwager
Untitled
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $338,500
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13
This lot is no longer available.
14
Ed Ruscha
Mean As Hell
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
Sold for $590,500
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15
John McCracken
Speak
Estimate $90,000 - 120,000
Sold for $110,500
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16
Andy Warhol
Brillo Soap Pads Box
Estimate $700,000 - 900,000
Sold for $842,500
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17
Ed Ruscha
Atlas
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $86,500
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18
Andy Warhol
Diamond Dust Shoes
Estimate $300,000 - 400,000
Sold for $506,500
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19
James Rosenquist
Wild West World
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $242,500
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20
Tim Noble and Sue Webster
Puny Undernourished Kid & Girlfriend From Hell
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
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21
This lot is no longer available.
22
Anselm Reyle
Sonnenuntergang am Genfer See (Sunset on Lake Geneva)
Estimate $80,000 - 100,000
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23
Keith Tyson
Nature Painting
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $60,000
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24
Olafur Eliasson
Moonlight
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $110,500
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25
Jack Goldstein
Untitled
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $104,500
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26
Yoshitomo Nara
Black Hole Cosmic Heads
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $134,500
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27
George Condo
Mental States (Hiding and Finding)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $290,500
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28
Banksy
Insane Clown
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $386,500
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29
Albert Oehlen
Untitled
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
Sold for $194,500
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30
Sherrie Levine
Untitled (Lead Knots: 7)
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $134,500
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31
Tony Cragg
Paysage avec Lac (Landscape with Lake)
Estimate $90,000 - 120,000
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32
Fred Sandback
Untitled (Leaning Vertical Construction)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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33
Dan Walsh
Untitled
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $37,500
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34
Kara Walker
The Humane Acquisition of Chitlins
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $86,500
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35
Katja Strunz
Untitled
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $27,500
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36
This lot is no longer available.
37
David LaChapelle
Leonardo DiCaprio: Nostalgic Styling
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
Sold for $31,250
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38
Tracey Emin
Her soft lips touched mine and every thing became hard
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $86,500
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39
Jules de Balincourt
Ambitious New Plans
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $116,500
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40
Carroll Dunham
Another Island
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $104,500
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41
Hernan Bas
The Lonely Martian
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $98,500
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42
Feng Zhengjie
China 2005 No. 11
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $68,500
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Contemporary Art Part I

12 Nov 2009 New York

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Provenance

Catalogue Essay

31

Tony Cragg

Paysage avec Lac (Landscape with Lake)

Contemporary Art Part I

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12 Nov 2009
New York