NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2003 Nov 13 @ 19:00UTC-5 : EST/CDT
PROPERTY from
the pisces trust
DAMIEN HIRST
(b.1966)
SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
animal skeletons in nickel
and stainless steel-plated
glass display unit
803/4 x 148 x 48 in.
(205 x 376 x 122 cm) overall
executed in 2001
ESTIMATE: $800,000-1,200,000
PROVENANCE
White Cube, LONDON
EXHIBITED
Donaueschingen, Fürstenburg Sammlugen, AHEAD OF THE 21st CENTURY: THE PISCES COLLECTION, June 2002-October 2004,
pp. 104-105, no. 75 (illustrated)
LITERATURE
U. Grosenick, Fürstenburg Sammlugen, AHEAD OF THE 21st CENTURY: THE PISCES COLLECTION, ostfildern-ruit, 2002,
pp. 104-105, no. 75 (illustrated)
Unique among artists of his generation, Hirst has committed himself to working in the space between science and art, in a relentless pursuit of medical science, forensics, pharmacology, pathology and natural history, rendering these passions as the underlying core to his body of work. Hirst has infused the poetic lure of the scientific paper and pharmaceutical catalogue, with the skeletal shells of past animals, the pharmacy, the lab and death-tainted artifacts of the mortuary, as a means to extend his intellectual curiosity and passion about the technical foundations of modern life sciences and their practical applications in pharmacy, medicine, surgery and forensic analysis. Such titles as ISOLATED ELEMENTS SWIMMING IN THE SAME DIRECTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNDERSTANDING, THE PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY OF DEATH IN THE MIND OF SOMEONE LIVING, WHEN LOGIcS DIE, HYMN, and the present lot, SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, announced the arrival of an artist different and brave enough to use contemporary science to clarify, celebrate and enhance the range and depth of his work.
It has further been explained that, "In addressing the big issues of the intrinsic frailty and vulnerability of life, the constant presence of death and disability and the role of ingenious technologies in blunting the ravages of disease, Hirst appears to respect the enormity of the technical challenges and the accomplishments made. His fascination with the underlying principles of biological design and function is consistent with the technological imperative to dissect and to identify the root cause of disease in order to design new ways to palliate, cure, and ideally, prevent illness and to delay the infirmities of old age...Comparative anatomy, physiology and pathology - the study of form, function and disease in animals - has been a fertile source of research knowledge to better inform human medicine. This theme is reflected in SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF SEVERAL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL [a sister piece to SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL]. The delicate skeletal structures in this exhibit illustrate the exquisite economy of biological design. The same bony structures can be identified in the diverse skeletons but each are adapted by evolution to accommodate the selection pressures of evolutionary time."
D. Hirst and J. Beard, eds., THEORIES, MODELS, METHODS, APPROACHES, ASSUMPTIONS, RESULTS AND FINDINGS,
NEW YORK, 2000, p. 102
The Hirstian iconography is immediately identifiable: the precision-engineered vitrines, the cabinets of modern curiosities, the regimented displays of surgical instruments, medical devices, whole suspended, dissected, flayed, sectioned, formaldehyde-fixed animals, dotted pharmaceutical paintings and brightly colored canvases covered with butterflies. Each work is accompanied by slick, lengthy titles coined, by Hirst's own admission, with the intent to inform and simultaneously confuse the viewer. In Hirst's own famous words, he explains that "I'm going to die and I want to live forever. I can't escape the fact and I can't let go of the desire" (R. Violette, ed., I WANT TO SPEND THE ReST OF MY LIFE EVERYWHERE, WITH EVERYONE, ONE TO ONE, ALWAYS, FOREVER, NOW, LONDON, 1997, p. 82). Hirst ultimately harnesses in a common framework the scientific and forensic domains to reflect the cyclical patterns of life, decay and death and to chronicle the ingenious agenda of modern science to attenuate, frustrate and, ultimately, escape the burden of disease and to delay terminal decline. Hirst exposes us to the weight of a world of secrets, simultaneously elegant but threatening, the predictable posed to transform at any moment into a random framework and the seeming stability of "order" in a knife-edge balance with chaos. In SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, Hirst essentially captures the paradigmatic framework for modern science and natural history as a means to explain and codify natural phenomenon and to analyze and interpret data obtained from observation. The vitrine remains a central element in this sculpture, as Hirst exploits this medium with consummate skill to demarcate spaces, to delineate boundaries and to highlight relationships between the animal skeletons to lure the viewer's attention, while simultaneously imposing a subtle physical barrier, which the viewer is not allowed to transcend, thus ultimately rending SOMETHING SOLID BENEATH THE SURFACE OF ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL as a highly provocative and extravagant Hirst masterpiece.
Auction Location:
United States
Previewing Details:
Saturday November 1, 2003 10am to 5pm
Sunday November 2, 2003 1Pm to 5pm
Monday November 3, 2003 10am to 5pm
Tuesday November 4, 2003 10am to 5pm
Wednesday November 5, 2003 10am to 5pm
Thursday November 6, 2003 10am to 5pm
Friday November 7, 2003 10am to 5pm
Saturday November 8, 2003 10am to 5pm
Sunday November 9, 2003 1Pm to 5pm
Monday November 10, 2003 10am to 5pm
Tuesday November 11, 2003 10am to 5pm
Wednesday November 12, 2003 10am to 5pm
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
No Info Available
Payment Details:
No Info Available
Conditions of sale applicable to buyers
1 BUYERS PREMIUM WILL BE CHARGED AT 15% ON THE FIRST CHF 70,000 OF THE HAMMER PRICE OF EACH LOT, AND AT 10% THEREAFTER. FOR LOTS MARKED WITH THE SYMBOL () IN THE CATALOGUE, THE BUYER HAS TO PAY SWISS VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) AT 7.6% ONLY ON THE BUYERS PREMIUM, NOT ON THE HAMMER PRICE. FOR LOTS WITHOUT THE SYMBOL (), VAT OF 7.6% IS APPLICABLE ON THE HAMMER PRICE AND THE BUYERS PREMIUM. This VAT is refundable to non-Swiss resident buyers who, within 30 days following the sale, present to PHILLIPS, de PURY & LUXEMBOURG LIMITED (hereinafter PHILLIPS) the export declaration, duly stamped by Swiss customs, proving that the goods have left Switzerland. Non-stamped declarations are invalid.
2 Every lot is sold with all faults and errors of description and PHILLIPS disclaim, for themselves and for the vendors, all responsibility, in particular for authenticity, age, origin, condition or quality. Any statement, whether contained in the catalogue or expressed orally, is considered a statement of opinion only and not a statement of fact. PHILLIPS GIVES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES. Purchasers are deemed to have satisfied themselves on authenticity, condition, etc., before bidding.
3 The Auctioneer has absolute discretion to divide any lot, to combine two or more lots, to withdraw any lots, to refuse bids, and to regulate the bidding. He may bid on the vendor’s behalf for all goods which are being offered subject to a reserve or at the Auctioneer’s discretion.
4 The highest bidder shall be the buyer. In case of disagreement the lot or lots will immediately be reoffered by the Auctioneer. No claim will be accepted once the adjudication has been given.
5 When the reserve price has not been reached, the lot will be passed at the fall of the hammer.
6 Bids from clients unknown to PHILLIPS, the Auctioneer, or the Stadtammann of Zurich might not be accepted unless accompanied by a full cash deposit, or a bank reference, which must arrive in good time to be taken up before the sale at PHILLIPS, Kreuzstrasse 54, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland. The Auctioneer retains full authority to refuse these bids.
7 PHILLIPS requires that all prospective buyers use a bidding number in place of their names.
8 Persons not present at the sale may leave their bids with the Auctioneer or the Stadtammann of Zurich. The prices on these bidding forms will be treated as maximum hammer price, excluding premium or taxes. Alterations to these forms can only be accepted in writing up to the evening preceding the sale.
9 Payment can be made in cash, by bank cheque or by wire transfer. Cash payments must be made in Swiss Francs. PHILLIPS reserves the right to refuse immediate clearance of goods when paid for by wiretransfer or by cheque, whether drawn on a Swiss or foreign bank.
10 Payment of the purchase price is due within seven days after sale. Interest of 1.5% (expenses included) per month on the purchase price will be charged if payment is not received within these seven days. PHILLIPS reserves the right to resell unpaid items after the period of seven days by auction or privately without notice to the buyer. In this event PHILLIPS may claim from the defaulter damages including all loss arising from any resale of the lot together with the charges and expenses in respect of both sales. Any money deposited in part payment shall be held by PHILLIPS against the defaulter’s liability.
11 No purchase shall be claimed or removed until PHILLIPS has received full payment of the purchase price. All lots shall be removed at the buyer’s risk and expense. Purchases will be held for collection at no charge for 28 days. All purchases not collected within such period are subject to a minimum warehousing charge of CHF 10 per lot per day. If purchases are not removed within 60 days of the sale, PHILLIPS may deposit the lot at the buyer’s risk and expense. PHILLIPS shall not be responsible if the lots in storage are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Any liability which there may be on the part of PHILLIPS in respect of any loss shall be restricted to a maximum of the price paid by the purchaser of the lot. Clearance of purchases, other than by the purchaser, must be carried out by a person specified on the written direction of the buyer. ON REQUEST, PHILLIPS WILL QUOTE FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR TRANSPORT OF PURCHASED ITEMS. ALL COSTS INCURRED BY SHIPPING, CUSTOMS AND INSURANCE WILL BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE BUYER.
12 Every person attending the public exhibition or the sales shall be deemed to be there at his own risk. He shall have no claim against PHILLIPS in respect of any injury he may sustain or any accident which may occur.
13 Any person causing damage to an item will be held legally responsible.
14 Notice of all forthcoming Auction Sales will appear in “La Feuille d’Avis Officielle”/ “Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt” and all interested parties are welcome to consult the Conditions of Sale at this time.
15 Any dispute concerning the auction/sale shall be governed by Swiss law and settled by the ORDINARY COURTS IN ZURICH.
16 The auction takes place under the supervision of the Stadtammannamt Zurich. The Canton and City of Zurich and particularly the Stadtammannamt Zurich bear no liability for the decisions taken by the auctioneer.