Lot 35: Tony de Lautour Mountain Range oil on canvas title

Tony de Lautour Mountain Range oil on canvas title inscribed, signed and dated 2000 1010 x 1010mm Mountain Ranges represents one of several works whereby de Lautour uses immdeiately recognised symbols, as such the aeroplane, the Nike Swoosh label, the @ symbol and 111, the New Zealand emergency services telephone number. Here, the McDonalds M is used to represent the capitalist giant which has conquered every country (Antarctica opening soon with NEW ICEburger ™...). The mountain ranges within the formation are numbered, referring both to altitudes and the respective year of their colonisation or ascent and emphasising man's subsequent desire to document such significant events. It is no surprise that 'family restaurants' tend to do this too. In using these numerals, de Lautour emphasises the mountain climber/restauranteur's pride in conquest. These images are maps of geographical colonisation both in the old sense of geographical colonisation both in the old sense of exploratory conquest and the new sense of commercial conquest by a sprawling corporation. Imogen Kerr