Contemporary + Modern: Art & Design
Fri, Jan 28, 2022 01:00AM EST
Lot 57
NICHOLAS AFRICANO / Laughing Man, Crying Man (1986 Acrylic Diptych)
Unsold
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $75,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
Nicolas Africano
(Illinois, b. 1948)
Laughing Man and Crying Man, 1986
Acrylic diptych on reinforced plaster
48" x 36" (each panel)
Signed, dated, and titled to the reverse. The masked face on each panel is modeled in mixed media relief. Each is presented in a walnut frame that measures 50 1/2" x 38 1/2", and each weighs about 60 lbs.
Bill Morgan offers more context on the paintings: "These two pieces were originally part of Nicolas’s Masters Exhibition (1974) at ISU. At the time that I acquired them, they were Dead Dogs and The Mountain part of his image storehouse in the mid-70’s. But a little over a decade later, Nicolas had new things to say and new imagery to say it. So, when some minor problems developed along the edges of the plaster on these two pieces, he offered to paint over the dogs & mountain with up-to-date imagery: Laughing Man and Crying Man.
"These performing figures show up in many of Nicolas’s works of the mid-1980s. As I see them, the two paintings work together to remind viewers of the difficulty of achieving authentic feeling—perhaps even the impossibility of getting to authentic feeling because of the interference of our habitual crutch of performance."
Provenance: From the Bill & Ellen Morgan collection. Bill Morgan is a professor emeritus of English at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. It was there that he befriended Nicolas Africano, and he quickly became a patron and collector of the Africano's work as well; for a time Morgan rented Africano a room, occasionally accepting artwork in lieu of payment. This far-reaching collection from an early adopter gives a unique opportunity to access rare early works and get an expansive view of the artist during several pivotal moments in his journey.
Alternate spelling: Nicholas Africano
Good condition, noting some cracking and loss to the textured border on Crying Man.
(Illinois, b. 1948)
Laughing Man and Crying Man, 1986
Acrylic diptych on reinforced plaster
48" x 36" (each panel)
Signed, dated, and titled to the reverse. The masked face on each panel is modeled in mixed media relief. Each is presented in a walnut frame that measures 50 1/2" x 38 1/2", and each weighs about 60 lbs.
Bill Morgan offers more context on the paintings: "These two pieces were originally part of Nicolas’s Masters Exhibition (1974) at ISU. At the time that I acquired them, they were Dead Dogs and The Mountain part of his image storehouse in the mid-70’s. But a little over a decade later, Nicolas had new things to say and new imagery to say it. So, when some minor problems developed along the edges of the plaster on these two pieces, he offered to paint over the dogs & mountain with up-to-date imagery: Laughing Man and Crying Man.
"These performing figures show up in many of Nicolas’s works of the mid-1980s. As I see them, the two paintings work together to remind viewers of the difficulty of achieving authentic feeling—perhaps even the impossibility of getting to authentic feeling because of the interference of our habitual crutch of performance."
Provenance: From the Bill & Ellen Morgan collection. Bill Morgan is a professor emeritus of English at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. It was there that he befriended Nicolas Africano, and he quickly became a patron and collector of the Africano's work as well; for a time Morgan rented Africano a room, occasionally accepting artwork in lieu of payment. This far-reaching collection from an early adopter gives a unique opportunity to access rare early works and get an expansive view of the artist during several pivotal moments in his journey.
Alternate spelling: Nicholas Africano