Jun 08, 2023 - Sale 2640

Sale 2640 - Lot 171

Price Realized: $ 16,250
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
ELAINE STURTEVANT
Oldenburg Store Objects, Bacon and Pat of Butter.

Bacon, cloth and enamel, 1967. 230x50 mm; 9x2 inches. Initialed and dated in enamel on the edge * Pat of Butter, painted plaster with porcelain dish, 1967. 65 mm; 2 1/2 inches (diameter), overall. Initialed and dated in enamel on the underside of the dish.

Exhibited: The Store of Claes Oldenburg, New York, April 22-June 11, 1967

Acquired directly from the artist, New York, by Norman Dolph, New York; thence by descent to the current owner.

Elaine Sturtevant (1924-2014) was an American postmodern artist known for her appropriation of the work of her contemporaries such as Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Marcel Duchamp. She copied by memory, using the same techniques and materials, and purposely made small alterations on her work (like a stray mark) to keep it unique. Through her work she sought to explore questions of authenticity, originality, and the creative process.

The Store of Claes Oldenburg, Sturtevant's 1967 copy of Oldenburg's 1961 The Store was located in New York's East Village. She memorized Oldenburg's plaster and paint representations of household objects (like cigarette butts, cakes, spoons, eggs, pie cases, etc.) and reproduced them for her installation. Both artists operated their stores as actual stores, allowing customers to come in and purchase what they "needed". Oldenburg attended the installation but cut off contact with Sturtevant afterwards. The public's opinion on Sturtevant's copy installation was mixed, which contributed to both her allure and our modern knowledge on the appropriation of art.