Alonso Mateo
Silla con un Brazo de Mas

Name: Silla con un Brazo de Mas
Brand: Alonso Mateo
Price: 10000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

gilded wood with gold leaf and fabric For over a decade Mateo has focused his work on the analysis of the rites and symbols of power, the high classes, aristocracy, and royalty. He is known among friends and colleagues as El Condo (the Count), a nickname given due to his appearance and manners that at times can be perceived as a perpetual complementary performance for his production of objects. Mateo’s gaze has examined and reevaluated the environments and phenomena inherent in the purchasing power of the upper classes, such as jewels, haute couture, and the ornament and appliqué work of precious metals in furnishings. The artist also comments on the genetic problems typical of royal families resulting from the practice of endogamy, marrying within your own class and social and ethnic group, for the sake of preserving a supposed purity of lineage. He approaches this subject with a refined and sarcastic humor, as seen in Silla con pie Equino and Silla con un Brazo de Mas, two pieces of Imperial style furniture. These two chairs are presented as royal portraits; assembled with well-padded seat cushions, lavish upholstery, and carved and gilded wooden legs and framework. Silla con pie Equino translates to ‘chair with foot drop’ or ‘chair with Equinus’, an ailment of the ankle limiting range of motion to bring the top of the foot toward the shin, resulting in a dropped foot. Silla con un Brazo de Mas translates to ‘chair with one more arm’. These royal portraits point out the congenital deformations that can present themselves through the practice of endogamy; beautifully crafted pieces of furniture, created with the finest materials, with an unexpected flaw.

Creator:

Alonso Mateo (1964, Cuban)

Dimensions:

Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)

Medium:

Fabric,Gold Leaf,Wood

Period:

21st Century

Condition:

third arm has crack at the joint. hairline crack on top (back) of wood frame. some flaking of gold leaf.

Gallery Location:

Phoenix, AZ