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Claes Oldenburg
Bust (Mauve): Erotic drawing of nude bound woman

1975

About the Item

Printed in rich astral blue, this etching depicts a nude woman from the waist up. Emerging from her cupid’s-bow lips, the tip of a phallus imitates a ball gag, and across her chest, two lines mimic fetish or bondage restraints. Her bound breasts assume the form of male members, which also sprout from her ears. A tangle of lines suggests the woman’s voluminous hairstyle. Her finely-drawn face anchors this raunchy composition, with her shaded eyes, dark lips and curls evoking Clara Bow’s smoldering gaze. Plate 20.25 x 14.5 in. / 51.4 x 36.8 cm Sheet 36 x 27 3/8 in. / 91.4 x 69.5 cm Etching in one color on white, thick, slightly textured Wookey Hole handmade paper watermarked with the artist’s signature. Signed by the artist and dated 1975 lower right in pencil; numbered lower left in pencil. The edition of 60 includes ten prints in each of six different ink colors: Indigo blue, vermilion, mauve, burnt sienna, astral blue, and yellow-ochre, this listing is for one copy in the color of your choice. As recorded in the artist’s unpublished notes: “In 1974 an ambitious project for a suite of large-scale etchings was hatched with Paul Cornwall-Jones, for production by Maurice Payne in Petersburg Press’s new Pembroke studios in London. The project would consist of meticulous transcriptions of a certain group of drawings on sexual themes done in the mid-sixties, most of which had never been exhibited. These were supplemented by a number of works in the same vein transcribed from other drawings of the late sixties and early seventies, as well as new drawings invented on the plate.” With complete confidence, the artist freely sketched sexually-charged scenes, infusing them with characteristic humor and charm. Using only crosshatching and line work to define vampy, lithe nymphs and outsized, disembodied members, Oldenburg neatly replicates the look of ballpoint pen in vibrant color. This print is not previously owned and has been stored in the archives of the original publisher since its publication. A copy of this etching is in the collection of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Exhibition history: Oldenburg: New Editions (1975) Catalogue reference: Printed Stuff: Prints, Posters and Ephemera by Claes Oldenburg A Catalogue Raisonné 1958-1996 Hudson Hills Press in association with Madison Art Center Wisconsin, New York, 1997. Illustrated no. 119
  • Creator:
    Claes Oldenburg (1929, American, Swedish)
  • Creation Year:
    1975
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    This etching is not pre-owned and has been stored in the archives of the publisher since its publication.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU121125358672

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This etching features a nude woman in high heels. Whipping her head to the left, she gazes intently past the viewer through a wild tangle of tresses. A sunhat with a bow nearly floats off her head, a tongue-in-cheek nod to modesty. Taking a wide stance, she straddles a comically large phallus, which springs up eagerly from the ground like a plant. Unusually, this etching was drawn directly onto the plate from the artist’s imagination and not from a life model. This spontaneity is visible around the woman’s bust and arms, where Oldenburg sketched several variations of her anatomy, giving the impression of a figure in movement. Beside her left breast, Oldenburg extends this halo of lines by cheekily doodling a small, floating phallus. Paper 36 x 27.5 in. / 91.4 x 69.2 cm. Plate 23.5 x 17.7 in. / 59.7 x 45.1 cm. Etching in one color on white, thick, slightly textured Wookey Hole handmade paper watermarked with the artist’s signature. Signed by the artist and dated 1975 lower right in pencil. The edition of 60 includes ten prints in each of six different ink colors: Indigo blue, vermilion, mauve, burnt sienna, astral blue, and yellow-ochre. A copy of each color is available: this listing is for one copy in the color of your choice. As recorded in the artist’s unpublished notes: “In 1974 an ambitious project for a suite of large-scale etchings was hatched with Paul Cornwall-Jones, for production by Maurice Payne in Petersburg Press’s new Pembroke studios in London. The project would consist of meticulous transcriptions of a certain group of drawings...
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