Lot 581: Untitled (Jesus figure), 2001

Untitled (Jesus figure), 2001
Plastic laminated photograph mounted to MDF board. 50.2 x 37.1 cm. (19 3/4 x 14 5/8 in). 

 New York, Anton Kern Gallery, Kai Althoff, 8 November - 22 December, 2001

 Anton Kern Gallery, New York

The present lot Untitled (Jesus figure), 2001 is from a group of works Althoff began as colored drawings, artfully rough, which he then photographed.  Althoff encased the photographs in plastic, ensuring no signature was visible, intentionally conveying an anonymous, unpolished, once-removed quality to his work, and also simulating different sorts of touch. The style of these drawings deliberately shifts from Biedermeier delicacy to Die Brücke, which is most evident in the present lot, with occasional nods toward early David Hockney and Richard Hamilton.  Althoff’s photographed drawings from this period convey a quaint, nostalgic quality, suggesting the removal of the artist’s hand, while also conveying spiritual overtones.