Lot 141
RICHARD TUTTLE (AMERICAN B.1941)
MAQUETTE
Auction: 17 August 2017 at 12:00 BST
Description
Aluminium foil, a maquette for 13 works cast in aluminium, one of which with indentation for candle (as here) cast in silver
Dimensions
10cm x 29cm x 5cm (4in x 11.5in x 2in) including woodend plinth
Footnote
Provenance: The Collection of John Brazenall
Note: Richard Tuttle is an important American artist, and his work is considered part of the post-minimalist tradition. He has had a long and varied career, though his works are difficult to classify. He works across a wide range of media, often in a space that could be considered between painting and sculpture, and with a particular focus on the modest and subtle. Viewers have struggled to get a grip on his art, though it has been widely championed.
In 1975, following the opening of Tuttle's exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the art critic Hilton Kramer wrote a scathing review, claiming here 'less is unmistakeably less.' It cost the curator Marcia Tucker her job, as she stood by her decision to stage the exhibit. She described the intention of the works; 'to discover or explore something which is unknown in order to find out for yourself what it is about.'
Here, Maquette is presented within an artworld convention, raised on a plinth, under protective and distancing glass, which indicates to us that we are to take it seriously. It is even raised on a stepped wooden base, raising it higher as though some kind of offering, yet the sculpture's surface is that of straightforward crumpled foil. It is designed to hold a candle, in many traditions a weighty responsibility, yet the flame has been allowed to burn down to the surface of the sculpture, the black, sooty surface recalling a forgotten flame, or hastily extinguished cigarette. Maquette is both strong and delicate, has a three-dimensional weight and presence yet seems made of simple lines, can recall basic building materials, or a powerful, destructive weapon. It is difficult to grasp fully, but encourages close looking and serious contemplation; any meanings or references are layered, subtle and ephemeral and can vary by viewer, location, mood, moment.