Lot 40
Wolfgang Tillmans(B. 1968)Repose II, 2013
15 February 2020, 12:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$75,075 inc. premium
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Wolfgang Tillmans (B. 1968)
Repose II, 2013
signed and numbered 'Wolfgang Tillmans 1/1 +1' (on a paper label affixed to the reverse)
Inkjet print on paper mounted on Dibond aluminum in artist's frame
83 1/2 x 57 1/8 x 2 3/8 in.
212.1 x 145.1 x 6 cm.
This work is number one from the edition of one plus one artist's proof.
signed and numbered 'Wolfgang Tillmans 1/1 +1' (on a paper label affixed to the reverse)
Inkjet print on paper mounted on Dibond aluminum in artist's frame
83 1/2 x 57 1/8 x 2 3/8 in.
212.1 x 145.1 x 6 cm.
This work is number one from the edition of one plus one artist's proof.
Footnotes
Provenance
David Zwirner Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
London, Maureen Paley, Wolfgang Tillmans: central nervous system, 14 October-24 November 2013, another example exhibited
Literature
Wolfgang Tillmans, ed., Wolfgang Tillmans, Tokyo 2014, pp. 42 and 127, another example illustrated
In 2000, Tillmans was the first photographer and first non-British artist to receive the Turner Prize, an award given annually by the Tate in London. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium's foundations. The portrait occupies a prominent position within Tillmans' oeuvre, but its repeated appearance throughout his works is far from uniform. While some are spontaneous, others are staged; some involve a full face, others just and ear or neck. Tillmans has mentioned that he approaches the genre with the same level of experimentation that he uses for his abstract pictures, and his subjects are sometimes presented in contexts that seem to be approximate still lives.
Repose II belongs to a small series of works depicting Tillmans' friend Karl. His face is here missing from the composition, which instead focuses on his hands resting in his lap. The fold on his black top and shorts are reminiscent of Tillmans' Faltenwurf photographs of clothes strewn across furniture or the floor, while a glimpse of green grass and a partially visible bruise on his right thigh add hints of context and narrative.
