Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre - Photographs London Thursday, May 20, 2021 | Phillips

Photographs

London Auction 20 May 2021

  • Provenance

    Tristan Hoare Gallery, London

  • Literature

    Y. Marchand & R Meffre, The Ruins of Detroit, Göttingen: Steidl, 2010, cover

  • Catalogue Essay

    Artist duo Marchand and Meffre characterise their photographic practice as the ‘ongoing and systematic investigation of modern ruins, especially industrial era relics’. It was precisely this type of exploration that led them to work on their Detroit series between 2005 and 2010. The present photograph, shot using a 4x5 camera in 2007, depicts the main façade of the abandoned Michigan Central Station, once dubbed the ‘Ellis Island of Detroit’. Struck by the notion of a neo-classical building rotting with modern decay, the artists saw this building as an expression of historical cycle and the double-edged nature of progress. As soon as they took this captivating image, they knew that it would be the cover of their monograph on the series, which was later published by Steidl in 2010. Their work has been exhibited internationally and is held in many prominent collections, including the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, the Detroit Institute of Arts and la Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris.

26

Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Facade, Michigan Central Station, Detroit, USA from The Ruins of Detroit

2007
Chromogenic print, mounted.
Image: 150 x 190 cm (59 x 74 3/4 in.)
Frame: 156 x 195 cm (61 3/8 x 76 3/4 in.)
Signed in ink, printed title, date and number 5/6 + 2 APs on a gallery label affixed to the reverse of the mount. One from a sold-out edition of 6 + 2 APs.

Estimate
£8,000 - 12,000 ♠

Sold for £7,560

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Photographs

London Auction 20 May 2021