Lot 220: ADI NES

Untitled from The Soldiers
Signed in ink, printed title, date and number 5/6 on a Certificate of Authenticity accompanying the work.

29 1/4 x 29 1/4 in. (74.3 x 74.3 cm).

Dye destruction print, mounted.

1999

Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

Israeli photographer Adi Nes confronts diminishing nationalistic ideals by referencing iconic journalistic portrayals of military accomplishments. In the current lot, Nes references Denis Simon’s Life magazine cover from June 13, 1967. In doing so, however, Nes glamorizes the military milestone and turns it into a hyperbolized and theatrical version of reality. The splashy, hyper-dramatized scene appears to be more concerned with vacuous selfconsciousness and feigned emotions than a true celebration of a battle won.