Isabel Norsten
Specialist, Head of Sale
PROPERTY FROM A NOTABLE CALIFORNIA COLLECTION
Lot 158W
DUANE HANSON(1925-1996)Lessender Man (Reading Man)
15 May 2025, 14:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$241,800 inc. premium
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Contemporary Art (US)
Rachel Griffith
Sale Coordinator
DUANE HANSON (1925-1996)
Lessender Man (Reading Man)
polyester and fiberglass, polychromed in oil, mixed media, with accessories
64 1/2 x 21 x 24 in (163.8 x 53.3 x 61 cm)
Executed in 1972
polyester and fiberglass, polychromed in oil, mixed media, with accessories
64 1/2 x 21 x 24 in (163.8 x 53.3 x 61 cm)
Executed in 1972
Footnotes
Provenance
Mr. and Mrs. George Meeker, Kansas City, Missouri.
Morgan Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri.
Frumkin & Struve Gallery, Chicago.
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1988.
Exhibited
Chicago, Struve Gallery, 1988
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, Urban Figures, November 17, 1988 - February 15, 1989.
Cologne, Germany, Onnasch Galerie, Duane Hanson, 1972, (illustrated pp. 7, 11-12 in a different wig.)
Stuttgart, Germany, Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, Duane Hanson, 1974, no. 28, (illustrated p. 67 in a different wig.)
Literature
K. Varnedoe, Duane Hanson, New York, 1985 (illustrated pp. 52-53).
T. Buchsteiner and O. Letze, eds., Duane Hanson: Sculptures of the American Dream, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2007, no. 29 (illustrated p. 45).
M.H. Bush, Duane Hanson, Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS, 1976, (illustrated p. 45)
The Reading Man is an outstanding example of Duane Hanson's position as one of the 20th century's most important hyperrealist artists. This astonishingly detailed sculpture from 1972 marks a significant transition from Hanson's earlier, more confrontational works of the 1960s, which often depicted stark scenes of violence and social unrest. While these early pieces were intended to provoke strong emotional reactions, The Reading Man reflects Hanson's shift toward addressing broader social themes in a more understated manner. This evolution allowed him to explore the everyday moments of modern life with greater nuance.
Meticulously detailed, The Reading Man depicts a figure in a black sweater, worn corduroy pants, and shoes typical of the early 1970s. He leans casually against a wall, holding a newspaper loosely, his gaze directed downward in quiet concentration. Hanson captures a genuine, quotidian scene of everyday life, inviting viewers to reflect on the human condition and the societal rhythms that shape daily existence. The sculpture is a subtle yet powerful commentary on the detachment and ennui often found in routine life.
Hanson's practice combines disarming sculptural realism with pointed social commentary. He selected ordinary, often overlooked individuals, as seen in works like Supermarket Shopper (1970), Woman Eating (1971), and Tourists (1970). Using polyester resin, fiberglass, and Bondo, Hanson cast his figures from live models—frequently the very people he sought to represent. The sculptures were then painted with extraordinary precision to mimic human skin, complete with veins, blemishes, and even individual hairs, and dressed in second-hand clothing or garments provided by the models themselves, enhancing their authenticity.
Hanson's work continues to resonate, blurring the line between art and life, and as an extension of the Pop Art movement's examination of everyday life, but with a more direct and unflinching approach. His hyperrealistic portrayals of everyday people remain a poignant reflection of modern society and solidify his legacy as a vital figure in contemporary art.
