Concrete Contemporary Auctions and Projects Contemporary Art Auction

April 13, 2015

LOT 34

Lot 34

DAVID BIERK, R.C.A.

DAVID BIERK, R.C.A.
Lot 34 Details
DAVID BIERK, R.C.A.

DAVID BIERK (A BOOK WITH ORIGINAL OIL ON COPPER COVER ILLUSTRATION, CONTAINED WITHIN A WOODEN PRESENTATION SLIPCOVER DESIGNED AS A FRAME)


signed, dated “12 Jan 2001” and numbered 28/100 on the title page, published by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery Alabama, 2000
11.25 ins x 11.25 ins x 1.25 ins; 28.6 cms x 28.6 cms x 3.2 cms

Estimate $700-$900

Realised: $1,320
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
DAVID BIERK, R.C.A.
  • DAVID BIERK, R.C.A.
Provenance:

Private Collection, Toronto

Note:

David Bierk practiced in the postmodern genre by appropriating old master paintings from art history and juxtaposing them with the style and aesthetic of modern culture and mass media. This re-presentation of old work in a new context turns historical masterpieces into lively, modernized masterpieces of the contemporary period. Through this method, Bierk’s creations reflect on culture, art, history, and philosophy.

Often, Bierk would paint copies of works by artists such as Vermeer, Ingres and famed artists of the Hudson River School. His manipulation of the work creates a tension between old masterly craft on the one hand, and Modernist abstraction and industrial fabrication on the other. The audience is urged to reflect on and understand the past in order to embrace the present. In Still Life: to Art and Life: Michelangelo and Gauguin, this synthesis of various moments in art history comes together in three distinct panels. Yet the fabrication of the frame is distinctly modern suggesting that these memories of art history can be brought into the present and is continuous with contemporary methods of creation and discovery.

Many of Bierk’s contributions to the Canadian art scene were here in Peterborough, where he founded the artist-run centre Artspace in 1974 and directed until pursuing his painting career full-time in the 1980s. Subsequently in 1998, he was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and in 2002 was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. Bierk's work appears in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa); Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); and the Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa) as well as numerous private collections.

CONDITION DETAILS

For condition information please contact the specialist.

LOT 34
×

About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.