104 - RED GROOMS (AMERICAN B. 1937) AND MIMI GROSS (AMERICAN B. 1940)

RED GROOMS (AMERICAN B. 1937) AND MIMI GROSS (AMERICAN B. 1940) From "Tappy Toes", 1970 gouache and cut paper collage on paper 28.2 x 35.6 cm (11 1/8 x 14 in.) framed dimensions: 45.1 x 52.6 cm (17 3/4 x 20 3/4 in.) inscribed FROM "TAPPY TOES" lower left; signed Mimi Gross lower center; signed RED GROOMS and dated '70 lower right PROVENANCE Acquired from the artist Sterling Strauser (1907-1995) from the current owner Private Collection, Virginia LOT NOTES This collage comes from Tappy Toes, the underground musical film Red Grooms and Mimi Gross made in Chicago between 1968 and 1970. They made it while married and working together as the Ruckus Construction Company. The film used their sculpto-pictorama The City of Chicago as its set. It mixed live actors with stop-action animation in a Busby Berkeley-style spectacle, with cameos by Hairy Who artists Ed Paschke and Karl Wirsum. Here, an elevated train loops the loop over a pink skyline, likely a joke on Chicago's "L" and the Loop, while a roller-skating girl in fishnets sails through the middle. Signed by both artists, it is a rare document of their collaborative film work. Keywords: Red Grooms, Mimi Gross, Tappy Toes Film, Pop Art Collage, Chicago Elevated Train, Ruckus Construction Company N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals LLC and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.