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Lot 317: HUMA BHABHA

Est: £20,000 GBP - £30,000 GBPSold:
Sotheby'sLondon, United KingdomJune 27, 2013

Item Overview

Description

B. 1962 MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE clay, wire, wood, bones, iron, cotton, fabric and glass 165.1 by 104.1 by 76.2cm.; 65 by 41 by 30in. Executed in 2006.

Artist or Maker

Exhibited

London, The Saatchi Gallery, The Empire Strikes Back, 2010 London, The Saatchi Gallery; Tri Postal Lille, La Route De La Soie/ The Silk Road, 2010-11

Literature

Herbert George Wells, The Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture, London 2009, p. 144 Edward Booth-Clibborn, Richard Cork and Brian Sewell, The History of the Saatchi Gallery, London 2011, p. 785

Provenance

Salon 94, New York Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2007

Notes

Reminiscent in form and impact of a tribal mask or polyphemus, Man of No Importance is a powerfully visceral work which projects an impression of commanding authority and strength. Although Bhabha’s sculptures are formed of an extraordinary array of ‘found’ objects, clay remains the most important material, as the artist has declared: “As soon as you put the clay on, this thing is just alive. It’s constantly looking at you” (the artist, cited in Hilarie M. Sheets, ‘Where Pharaohs Meet Mad Max’ in Art News, Summer 2010, n.p.). Bhabha here fashions eyes, mouth and nose out of an eclectic range of materials, whilst a mysterious ‘third eye,’ with its connotations of premonition and foresight, gazes out of a high domed forehead. The head is further characterised by the addition of an elongated beard which reaches towards the ground, arguably inviting associations with the appearance of a ‘village elder’ and introducing corresponding overtones of sagacity. Yet the evocative choice of title suggests that this ‘figure’ is representative of humankind in a more universal sense, an ordinary man deservedly immortalised through Bhabha’s unique creative language.

Auction Details

Contemporary Art Day Auction

by
Sotheby's
June 27, 2013, 12:00 AM GMT

34-35 New Bond Street, London, LDN, W1A 2AA, UK