$18,000
Estimate: $25,000 - $40,000
18 Works from the Bachman Collection
Auction: June 4, 2018 1:00:00 PM EDT
Signed, dated 1985 and located 'Denmark' upper center, charcoal, oil and acrylic on paper.
56 11/16 x 44 7/16 in. (144 x 112.9cm)
Provenance: The Pace Gallery, New York, New York.
The Estate of Lee & Gilbert Bachman, Atlanta, Georgia & Boca Raton, Florida (acquired directly from the above in 1986).
EXHIBITED:
"Jim Dine: Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture," The Pace Gallery, New York, January 17 - February 19, 1986 (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue p. 15).
NOTE:
This lot is accompanied by a photocopy of the bill of sale from The Pace Gallery, New York.
Best characterized by familiar and nostalgic subjects such as hearts, robes, and tools, Dine's oeuvre is at once open to interpretation while remaining quite personal. Dine is often associated with the Pop Art movement, based largely on his usage of bright colors and graphic style. However, the artist rejected that simple categorization as he perceived his work to be a means of questioning the influence of iconic symbols on the masses. Throughout his career, the artist has consistently challenged the status of fine art and what is considered significant within the art historical canon, employing symbolism to induce a sense of deeper meaning.
The two lots presented here depict excellent examples of Dine's quintessential subject matter in varied media. The symbol of the heart, somewhat synonymous with the artist, acknowledges a simple, ubiquitous icon that is universally recognizable and associated with love and affection. And yet, making the heart the larger than life subject, changes it from an ordinary object to an important one worthy of monumentalization. Venus de Milo, the subject of lot 7, harkens back to one of the most well-known and iconic sculptures in art history. Dine takes the form of this ancient sculpture and imbues it with modern significance, adding vibrant colors in a scribbled pattern.