Lot 17: Alice Maher (b.1956) COMA BERENICES, 1999

Alice Maher (b.1956) COMA BERENICES, 1999 exhibition label on reverse charcoal on paper 181 by 151cm., 71.2 5 by 59.5in> Exhibited: 'Knot: Alice Maher Draws from the Collection', Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, 21 April - 10 June 1999 Literature: Exhibition review by Dorothy Walker, Sunday Times, 2 May 1999, illustrated Alice Maher has long been interested in myths, fairy tales and childhood games, and frequently explores these themes in her work. This drawing belongs to a series of four monumental pieces entitled Coma Berenices (Bernice's hair), which the artist produced in response to a residence at the Hugh Lane Gallery. In 1998 Maher was invited to curate an exhibition of works on paper from the permanent collection at the Hugh Lane. After several months of sifting through the collection, she selected a diverse group of thirty-nine drawings and watercolours ranging from George Chinnery to Jack Yeats. She was particularly inspired by two works: Paul Klee's Anima Errante and Keith Henerson's Sleep Works which are, in Maher's words "from the opposing poles of art history" Alice Maher, quoted in the Hugh Lane exhibition catalogue, 1999, p. 58). Dorothy Walker, reviewing the exhibition, wrote of Maher's four drawings: "Alice Maher is the superb draughtswoman" of the age in this medium. Her huge charcoal drawings of women's hair are feats of dense, obsessive drawing unequalled in contemporary practice...The drawings repeat Klee's labyrinthine theme in taking the errant line into rich, dense coils of hair. Her obsession with women's hair is a feminist stance, illustrating how the 'crowning glory' represents women's identity...The drawings are superb: the fine lines represent as closely as possible the reality of the subject in scale and appearance, while retaining the intrinsic character of a drawing..."Coma Berenices relates to the myth of Beatrice, who sacrificed her hair to the gods for the return of her husband from the wars. She was rewarded for what was seen as this supreme sacrifice by eing placed in the skies as a constellation of stars, where she shines to this day>