Items Similar to Rare Large Harry Bowers Vintage C Print Photograph Ten Photographs Fashion Photo
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Harry BowersRare Large Harry Bowers Vintage C Print Photograph Ten Photographs Fashion Photo1984
1984
$1,200
£909.76
€1,048.72
CA$1,690.01
A$1,874.09
CHF 984.70
MX$22,898.23
NOK 12,319.90
SEK 11,564.33
DKK 7,828.89
About the Item
HARRY BOWERS
T E N P H O T O G R A P H S
I DON'T LOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHS I INVENT THEM
I recall my first meeting with Harry Bowers in California a few years ago. As he produced his large-scale prints, I was at first flabbergasted, not only by their size, but by their seamless perfection. Technique appeared to be everything but then technique as technique simply vanished. After the first moment, technique was no longer an issue, but rather a passageway to the imagery.
Suffice it to say about Harry Bowers' working style that he is an obsessive man. Trained as an engineer, he has turned that discipline to art. His lenses, equipment and darkroom, much of it exactingly manufactured by himself to answer certain needs, serve the desire of the artist to take photographic technique to its ultimate perfection in invisibility and transparency. I respect obsession in art, and particularly in photography, because obsession in photography passes beyond the easy, middle ground of image making to a more demanding, more difficult, yet more rewarding end. Bowers' obsession is to eliminate "photography as technique." No grain, no decisive moments, no journalism, or, seemingly, direct autobiographical endeavors appear in his work.
Bowers is an artist of synthesis who controls his environment if only in the studio exactly to his liking. The images he creates are formal structures, saucy stories on occasion, which may offer hints of a darker, more frightening sexuality, but what you see is the end product of an experiment in which nothing save the original insight perhaps is left to chance.
We seem fascinated with the idea of replication of reality in art. Popular painting frequently reproduces a scene "with the accuracy of a photograph," and photographs may "make you feel as though you were right there." The very invisibility of the photographic medium is important to Bowers, in that it allows him to maneuver his subject matter without concern for rendering it in an obvious art medium which would interfere with the nature of the materials he uses. The formal subtleties of Bowers' recent work are as delicious and ambiguous in their interrelationships as the best Cubist collages, yet while those collages always suggest their parts through edge and texture, these photographs present a structure through a surface purity.
Bowers' earlier works, for example, the Skirts I Have Known series, were formed of bits of clothing belonging to Bowers and his wife or found at local thrift shops. These works fused an elegance of pattern and texture, reminiscent of feminist Miriam Schapiro or Lucas Samaras fabric paintings, with a sense of theater and, on occasion, high eroticism. These clothes are not simply mashed like baled rags into the glass fronted box which fronts the picture plane, but are actors in a subtle dumb show. Early on, Bowers was surprised that so few people took notice of the erotic element in his work, for it forms a distinct and important component of his images, and one which he has continued to exploit, albeit in different ways.
In the last few years Bowers' work has divided into two parallel modes; one continues his fascination with patterns, textures and stuffs pressed into the transparent picture plane, while the other is more directly anthropomorphic. In this second body of work, Bowers frequently uses articulated shadow figures in black or white, carefully adjusted within the image in a provocative way that is often sexually unsettling. But for all their explicit arrangement, these works may be less suggestive than his earlier clothing tableaus. These newer works are more about space, texture, and the extensions of photography, as well as being a comment on sexuality.
Bowers has always been fascinated with space, and recognizing that it cannot be rendered on a flat surface through the camera, he has set about to create an illusion of space on a shallow plane, a true trompe l'oeil achievement. Within these works, the space is still constructed upon the glass panel of the printing frame, but with elements collaged to its front surface as well as pressed within it. The forms, frequently large black and white photographs (a photographer's conceit on the use of photography), often include a seated or crouching figure dressed only in socks and cutoff dungarees, which add an element of personality. The figure and the way in which it is posed also add a quality of vulnerability to his images, not heretofore seen.
One of the best of these images, HB-28-80, uses a photograph of a figure crouching in a fetal position on a chair. The figure has been cut from its background, and the background, in turn, has been taped to the front of the glass pane while the figure, in perfect register with the background, is laminated behind the glass. One of Bowers' articulated shadow figures, one hand trying to hide its genitals, has been placed on top of the figure, also under the plane of glass. The shadow figure follows the curve of the spine of the photographed figure. One cannot help but feel not only the nakedness and tense embarrassment of these two figures, one real and the other schematic, but the anomalous suggestion of a man carrying a fetus within his body.
"I follow fashion. I have closets literally full of clothes. I am a full-blown Comme des Garçons and Prada freak. I love clothes themselves as objects, and I also love the glossies – my love of fashion is how I discovered Wallpaper magazine." Bowers' images extend their power in several ways. They are photographs, which are so pure in their technique as to be clear as water. They deal with precise replications of reality, but a reality which has been recontextualized into episodes of both formal and visceral ambiguity. The best of them are wonderful .. contrivances" -his word-and are as frightening in their psychological implications as they are elegant in their visual form.
Thomas H. Garver, Director Madison Art Center
- Creator:Harry Bowers (1938, American)
- Creation Year:1984
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Surfside, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38216888872
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1995
1stDibs seller since 2014
1,801 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Surfside, FL
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllGianfranco Gorgoni Vintage Photograph Andy Warhol in Leather Factory Photo Print
Located in Surfside, FL
Large photograph, Andy Warhol at the factory
unsigned
Dimensions: 20" by 16"
Bears a pencil inscription Gianfranco Gorgoni verso
Gianfranco Gorgoni (1941 – 2019) was an Italian ph...
Category
20th Century Pop Art Black and White Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Large Spanish Pop Art Catalan Mixed Media Collage Painting Jordi Prat Pons
Located in Surfside, FL
Jordi Prat Pons (Spanish, 1965)
Mixed media painting on canvas. Torn paper collage
A group of liquor bottles or a bar scene
Hand signed lower left
Provenance: Commenoz Gallery, Flo...
Category
Late 20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Paper
Rare Original 1967 Minimalist Mod Pop Art Allan D'Arcangelo Unique Ink Drawing
Located in Surfside, FL
Allan D'Arcangelo (American/New York, 1930-1998),
1967 Cloud and Tree
Note affixed to back
Frame: 16 X 19
Image: 14 X 17
Hand signed in pencil and dated lower right 1967, titled bot...
Category
1960s Pop Art Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink
Spanish Pop Art Catalan Mixed Media Torn Paper Collage Painting Jori Prat Pons
Located in Surfside, FL
Jordi Prat Pons (Spanish, 1965)
Mixed media paintings on canvas.
Depicts a pair of Schweppes bottles.
Not signed on front. Bears name verso.
Catalan, Spanish painter Jordi Prat Po...
Category
Late 20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Paper
Vibrant Alan Davie Scottish Colorful Surrealist British Pop Art Village Painting
By Alan Davie
Located in Surfside, FL
Alan Davie, Scotland (1920-2014).
Gouache painting with watercolor
'Village Myth'
Hand signed ('with love') lower left,
1982
Dimensions: with frame 37.5"H x 30.25"W; image, 28"H x 22.5"W.
James Alan Davie (1920 – 2014) was a Scottish painter and musician.
Davie was born in Grangemouth, Scotland in 1920, the son of Elizabeth (née Turnbull) and James William Davie, an art teacher and painter who exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1925. During this formative period Davie discovered the poetry of Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot, whose prose is echoed in letters home as well as his own verses.
Alan Davie studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1937 to 1941. An early exhibition of his work came through the Society of Scottish Artists.
After the Second World War, Davie played tenor saxophone in the Tommy Sampson Orchestra, which was based in Edinburgh and broadcast and toured in Europe. He also earned a living making jewellery during the postwar period. Davie began teaching basic design in the jewellery department at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts led by the Scottish artist William Johnstone, where colleagues included artists Nigel Henderson, Eduardo Paolozzi, Richard Hamilton and Patrick Heron. In 1961, Davie’s jewellery was featured in The International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery at London’s Goldsmith’s Hall, a milestone in the history of jewellery making in Britain where an impressive roster of international and British artists including Alexander Calder, Naum Gabo, Victor Pasmore and John McHale...
Category
1980s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
1980s Abstract Expressionist Pop Art Painting Collage, Assemblage Hugh O'Donnell
By Hugh O'Donnell
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a mixed media collage with an almost sculpture quality to it. it is hand signed. size includes frame.
Hugh O'Donnell is an English painter, printmaker and site-specific art...
Category
1980s Pop Art Abstract Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Acrylic, Archival Paper
You May Also Like
Blue Lagoon
By Nemo Jantzen
Located in Singapore, SG
Mixed media by Nemo Jantzen. Handmade resin domes on board. Content: Travel, luxury, cityscapes, holidays, summer time, surf, etc.
Born and raised in The Hague in 1970, Nemo Jantze...
Category
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Materials
Epoxy Resin, Photographic Paper
Price Upon Request
Bert Stern "Marilyn Monroe Navy and Light Blue" 1973 Signed Photo Silkscreen
By Bert Stern
Located in Miami, FL
BERT STERN – "MARILYN MONROE (NAVY/LIGHT BLUE)"
Photo Silkscreen ⚜ Hand Signed ⚜ Numbered ⚜ Framed
A HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE WORK FROM THE MARILYN MONROE SERIES
This original 1973 photo ...
Category
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
Materials
Photographic Paper, Screen
Bert Stern "Marilyn Monroe Gold and Champagne" 1973 Signed Photo Silkscreen
By Bert Stern
Located in Miami, FL
BERT STERN – "MARILYN MONROE (GOLD/CHAMPAGNE)"
Photo Silkscreen ⚜ Hand Signed ⚜ Numbered ⚜ Framed
AN ICONIC IMAGE FROM "THE LAST SITTING" SERIES
This original photo silkscreen by Be...
Category
1970s Pop Art Figurative Prints
Materials
Photographic Paper, Screen
Sexy Doughnut, Fast Food Contemporary Still Life on Yellow Background, Giclée
By Ryan Rivadeneyra
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Sexy Miami Futuristic Cocktail Lounge" is a series of photographs by Ryan Rivadeneyra inspired by the Art Deco colors of Miami that show beautiful objects and textures arranged meti...
Category
2010s Pop Art Still-life Prints
Materials
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, G...
Roy II.
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
A Hahnemuehle Fine Art Print, attributed to Roy Lichtenstein. Editioned of 25.
Category
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Abstract Prints
Materials
Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Archival Pigment
Roy IV.
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
A Hahnemuehle Fine Art Print, attributed to Roy Lichtenstein. Editioned 25.
Category
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Abstract Prints
Materials
Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
