Abstract art is elitist in the sense that only a public already sensitized can understand the work. In 1987 Christopher Wool decorated his car with two giant words : SEX and LUV. This act is the trigger of a new form of Word art.
The previously abstract artist immediately seeks some words that will express the problems of the contemporary world with references to movies and to pop music. After a few drawings he selects his typography and layout, with big letters repeated like through stencils, in perfectly stacked lines like a painting by Agnes Martin.
His three major works painted in 1988 demonstrate that the letter is the main support of the message, preceding the word : Apocalypse Now is a complex sequence of letters with broken words at the end of the line and a few intervals removed. In later works Wool will also remove some vowels. Helter is a huge word divided into two lines and repeated once. Please spans the entire line but is repeated five times.
These themes evoke a shearing that moves the viewer. Apocalypse Now accompanies the departure of the furious hero leaving his wife behind. Helter skelter is a title by the Beatles. Please Please Please is a James Brown rhythm and blues song begging his girlfriend not to leave him.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M including premium by Christie's on November 12, 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 15M. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M including premium by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, is estimated $ 15M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 24 B.
SOLD for $ 17M including premium
The previously abstract artist immediately seeks some words that will express the problems of the contemporary world with references to movies and to pop music. After a few drawings he selects his typography and layout, with big letters repeated like through stencils, in perfectly stacked lines like a painting by Agnes Martin.
His three major works painted in 1988 demonstrate that the letter is the main support of the message, preceding the word : Apocalypse Now is a complex sequence of letters with broken words at the end of the line and a few intervals removed. In later works Wool will also remove some vowels. Helter is a huge word divided into two lines and repeated once. Please spans the entire line but is repeated five times.
These themes evoke a shearing that moves the viewer. Apocalypse Now accompanies the departure of the furious hero leaving his wife behind. Helter skelter is a title by the Beatles. Please Please Please is a James Brown rhythm and blues song begging his girlfriend not to leave him.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M including premium by Christie's on November 12, 2013 over a lower estimate of $ 15M. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M including premium by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, is estimated $ 15M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 17, lot 24 B.
SOLD for $ 17M including premium
Artist’s Markets Launched at Prestigious Events May Not Be a Sure Thing https://t.co/Qcxl1kRM5k pic.twitter.com/qliDmgh5uZ
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) May 8, 2017
RSS Feed
