Christopher WOOL (born in 1955)
1988
1
Apocalypse Now
2013 SOLD for $ 26.5M by Christie's
Abstract art is elitist in the sense that only a public already sensitized can understand the work.
Early in his career, Christopher Wool spreads with a roller a unique pattern on the surface of his painting. It is probably already an attempt to approach writing but impossible to read, like a Twombly.
In 1988 Wool enters into the letter art in an original way that strongly deviates from the pseudo-advertising of Ruscha. His seminal letter art is a preparatory SEX LUV on paper copying a titillating tag sprayed as two rows of three letters on a white truck. It comes in the follow of rebel styles brought by Basquiat in New York City in the 1980s.
The very first aluminum work in his signature stenciled letter art bears a reference to the Trojan Horse from which two letters have been removed from within the words. The difficulty of reading contributes to the attention of the observer and extends his time with the artwork.
Reading TRO JNH ORS in a balanced arrangement of 3 rows of 3 letters each, this Untitled enamel on aluminum 183 x 122 cm painted in 1988 was sold for $ 8.4M by Christie's on May 10, 2022, lot 16 B. The phrase is indeed a reference to the basic treachery of art. It is the only example of that wording in Wool's art.
The contrast is maximum between the letters in dark black enamel and the clean white background obtained by layers of paint on a metal surface. The letters are made with stencil and strictly positioned as if they were locked in a grid. This aluminum substrate allows the paint to sit directly on the surface without the absorption by the fabric of a canvas. The black enamel brings a shiny gloss.
Letters are in the order of the quote but the words are broken between subsequent lines and the intervals are often missing, reinforcing the message because its reading requires the attention of the observer.
The meaning itself is challenging. A painting 213 x 183 cm, titled Apocalypse Now because the quote is from that film, is the masterpiece of the new language. It reuses the message of no return written by an officer to his wife when he decides to go to the enemy.
It is also a point of no return in the history of art. Despite the minimalism in the form, Wool attracts and holds the attention of the observer fascinated by all the possible interpretations of the quote and by its use in art.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on November 12, 2013.
Wool reused SEX LUV in 1992. Some droppings below the letters remind the low quality of the original truck inscription. This alkyd on aluminum 110 x 76 cm was sold for $ 7.9M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018, lot 10.
Early in his career, Christopher Wool spreads with a roller a unique pattern on the surface of his painting. It is probably already an attempt to approach writing but impossible to read, like a Twombly.
In 1988 Wool enters into the letter art in an original way that strongly deviates from the pseudo-advertising of Ruscha. His seminal letter art is a preparatory SEX LUV on paper copying a titillating tag sprayed as two rows of three letters on a white truck. It comes in the follow of rebel styles brought by Basquiat in New York City in the 1980s.
The very first aluminum work in his signature stenciled letter art bears a reference to the Trojan Horse from which two letters have been removed from within the words. The difficulty of reading contributes to the attention of the observer and extends his time with the artwork.
Reading TRO JNH ORS in a balanced arrangement of 3 rows of 3 letters each, this Untitled enamel on aluminum 183 x 122 cm painted in 1988 was sold for $ 8.4M by Christie's on May 10, 2022, lot 16 B. The phrase is indeed a reference to the basic treachery of art. It is the only example of that wording in Wool's art.
The contrast is maximum between the letters in dark black enamel and the clean white background obtained by layers of paint on a metal surface. The letters are made with stencil and strictly positioned as if they were locked in a grid. This aluminum substrate allows the paint to sit directly on the surface without the absorption by the fabric of a canvas. The black enamel brings a shiny gloss.
Letters are in the order of the quote but the words are broken between subsequent lines and the intervals are often missing, reinforcing the message because its reading requires the attention of the observer.
The meaning itself is challenging. A painting 213 x 183 cm, titled Apocalypse Now because the quote is from that film, is the masterpiece of the new language. It reuses the message of no return written by an officer to his wife when he decides to go to the enemy.
It is also a point of no return in the history of art. Despite the minimalism in the form, Wool attracts and holds the attention of the observer fascinated by all the possible interpretations of the quote and by its use in art.
Apocalypse Now, 213 x 183 cm, was sold for $ 26.5M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Christie's on November 12, 2013.
Wool reused SEX LUV in 1992. Some droppings below the letters remind the low quality of the original truck inscription. This alkyd on aluminum 110 x 76 cm was sold for $ 7.9M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2018, lot 10.
2
please please please
2017 SOLD for $ 17M by Christie's
Beginning his new style of letter art, Christopher Wool 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 by Christie's in 2013. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, was sold for $ 17M by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 24 B, and for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2023, lot 118.
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 by Christie's in 2013. Untitled (Helter), 122 x 81 cm, was sold for $ 5.5M by Christie's on November 15, 2016. Untitled (Please), 244 x 142 cm, was sold for $ 17M by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 24 B, and for $ 8.4M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2023, lot 118.
1990 riot
2015 SOLD for $ 30M by Sotheby's
Our time is of great violence, fueled by the media. The public is no longer satisfied by its daily surrounding as if we liked being disturbed by events that ultimately do not concern us. The cinema is an element of this permanent shock.
By painting gigantic stenciled words in an unchanged typography and arrangement between 1988 and 1992, Christopher Wool contributes to this aggression. His works painted in enamel on aluminum are minimalist in order to concentrate the emotion within the short text. Wool is altogether removing from his art figure, color and texture, thus going still further than Jasper Johns.
The minimalist style of Wool has evolved gradually. In 1989 he dispositions in three lines a word of 8 or 9 letters selected to hail the visitor, for example INS OMN IAC, EXT REM IST, HYP NOT IST or COM EDI AN.
He also standardizes formats in 1990. The repeatability of the pictorial process also enables the artist to transform his paintings into multiples. The exhibition of Wool's messages challenges the viewer on the nature and risks of the action, violent or inappropriate.
He does not attribute titles to his artworks, because the displayed word is sufficient. By limiting us to the year 1990 and the format 274 x 183 cm, we find many examples.
The Untitled reading RI-OT was sold for $ 30M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015 from a lower estimate of $ 12M, lot 7. Its four giant letters are arranged in square like an Indiana's LO VE.
From the same year and size, HA-AH was sold for £ 6.2M by Christie's on July 1, 2014, lot 32. A is a sound vowel and H marks an emotional difficulty in breathing. This short text can have for the viewer an unlimited number of interpretations, varying with his desire when his eyes meet the artwork.
By painting gigantic stenciled words in an unchanged typography and arrangement between 1988 and 1992, Christopher Wool contributes to this aggression. His works painted in enamel on aluminum are minimalist in order to concentrate the emotion within the short text. Wool is altogether removing from his art figure, color and texture, thus going still further than Jasper Johns.
The minimalist style of Wool has evolved gradually. In 1989 he dispositions in three lines a word of 8 or 9 letters selected to hail the visitor, for example INS OMN IAC, EXT REM IST, HYP NOT IST or COM EDI AN.
He also standardizes formats in 1990. The repeatability of the pictorial process also enables the artist to transform his paintings into multiples. The exhibition of Wool's messages challenges the viewer on the nature and risks of the action, violent or inappropriate.
He does not attribute titles to his artworks, because the displayed word is sufficient. By limiting us to the year 1990 and the format 274 x 183 cm, we find many examples.
The Untitled reading RI-OT was sold for $ 30M by Sotheby's on May 12, 2015 from a lower estimate of $ 12M, lot 7. Its four giant letters are arranged in square like an Indiana's LO VE.
From the same year and size, HA-AH was sold for £ 6.2M by Christie's on July 1, 2014, lot 32. A is a sound vowel and H marks an emotional difficulty in breathing. This short text can have for the viewer an unlimited number of interpretations, varying with his desire when his eyes meet the artwork.
1990 cats in bag bags in river
2015 SOLD for $ 17M by Christie's
Wool began in 1990 to experiment alternative arrangements of letters, including plunging rows or rows with irregular lengths.
From the same series and in the same technique and size as the examples above, an Untitled reading CATS-INBAG-BAGS-IN-RIVER was sold for $ 17M by Christie's on November 10, 2015, lot 41 B.
For this specific opus, the artist revealed the cinematographic source of his inspiration : a phrase from the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success.
From the same series and in the same technique and size as the examples above, an Untitled reading CATS-INBAG-BAGS-IN-RIVER was sold for $ 17M by Christie's on November 10, 2015, lot 41 B.
For this specific opus, the artist revealed the cinematographic source of his inspiration : a phrase from the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success.
1990 run dog
2018 SOLD for $ 15.2M by Christie's
From the same series and in the same technique and size as the examples above, an Untitled reading RUND-OGRU-NDOG-RUN was sold for $ 15.2M by Christie's on November 15, 2018, lot 12 C.
1990 fool
2014 SOLD for $ 14.2M by Christie's
From the same series and in the same technique and size as the examples above, an Untitled reading FO-OL was sold twice by Christie's, for £ 4.9M on February 14, 2012, lot 5, and for $ 14.2M on November 12, 2014, lot 7. It was sold for $ 14M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2019, lot 21.
1992 if you
2014 SOLD for $ 23.7M by Christie's
The 1992 series of word art in enamel on aluminum by Christopher Wool is based on the same standardized size as in 1990, 274 x 183 cm.
The texts become longer. The aggressive phrase 'If you cant take a joke you can get the fuck out of my house' is arguably one of his favorites.
A full size version in seven lines with an alignment on the left was sold for $ 23.7M by Christie's on May 13, 2014, lot 17. Some tiny black drippings break the monotony of the composition.
A shorter variant is Fuck em if they cant take a joke.
The texts become longer. The aggressive phrase 'If you cant take a joke you can get the fuck out of my house' is arguably one of his favorites.
A full size version in seven lines with an alignment on the left was sold for $ 23.7M by Christie's on May 13, 2014, lot 17. Some tiny black drippings break the monotony of the composition.
A shorter variant is Fuck em if they cant take a joke.
1992 and if you
2016 SOLD for $ 13.6M by Christie's
Christopher Wool tries some variants.
In his signature full size 274 x 183 cm, he prepared also in 1992 another version of his unfriendly phrase 'If you cant take a joke ...', now adding "and" at the beginning of the text. The letters are now fully aligned in eight columns, filling the available space excepted the last incomplete line and the blank height for an additional line.
It was sold for $ 13.6M on May 10, 2016 by Christie's, lot 5 B.
Once again on his 'and if you ...' full phrase, a smaller enamel on aluminum 132 x 91 cm kept the alignment on left and right sides in lines of seven and eight letters. The lower line is again incomplete. It was sold for $ 4.1M by Phillips on May 16, 2013, lot 5, and for $ 7M by Christie's on November 12, 2014, lot 61.
In the same year another experiment provides the perfect rectangle. This enamel on paper 96 x 66 cm was sold for $ 2.4M by Phillips on November 14, 2019, lot 27.
In his signature full size 274 x 183 cm, he prepared also in 1992 another version of his unfriendly phrase 'If you cant take a joke ...', now adding "and" at the beginning of the text. The letters are now fully aligned in eight columns, filling the available space excepted the last incomplete line and the blank height for an additional line.
It was sold for $ 13.6M on May 10, 2016 by Christie's, lot 5 B.
Once again on his 'and if you ...' full phrase, a smaller enamel on aluminum 132 x 91 cm kept the alignment on left and right sides in lines of seven and eight letters. The lower line is again incomplete. It was sold for $ 4.1M by Phillips on May 16, 2013, lot 5, and for $ 7M by Christie's on November 12, 2014, lot 61.
In the same year another experiment provides the perfect rectangle. This enamel on paper 96 x 66 cm was sold for $ 2.4M by Phillips on November 14, 2019, lot 27.
1995 Spray
1
P244
2021 SOLD for $ 13.2M by Sotheby's
The untitled opus P244 is an enamel on aluminum 200 x 152 cm painted by Christopher Wool in 1995. The mingled looping lines in the style of Brice Marden were made by using a spray gun and liquified paint.
These strong black loops are sprayed over a partly erased but still visible background of various abstract patterns, inspired from Rauschenberg's Erased de Kooning Drawing.
P244 was sold for $ 13.2M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 103.
These strong black loops are sprayed over a partly erased but still visible background of various abstract patterns, inspired from Rauschenberg's Erased de Kooning Drawing.
P244 was sold for $ 13.2M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2021, lot 103.
2
P219
2019 SOLD for $ 10.4M by Sotheby's
The untitled opus P219 is an enamel on aluminum 228 x 152 cm painted by Christopher Wool in 1995. The mingled looping lines generated some drippings, anticipating by ten years the style of Twombly's Bacchus. On the background, pre-existing floral patterns had been erased by a layer of white.
P219 was sold for $ 10.4M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2019, lot 21.
P219 was sold for $ 10.4M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2019, lot 21.
