343 - MEESE, JONATHAN

MEESE, JONATHAN 1970 Tokyo Title: Jonathan de Large (Me in a brown tracksuit in a hall pose, later “Squaw”). Date: 2002. Technique: Room installation made from various materials, including the construction of the space. Dimensions: Installation dimensions: approx. 217 x 207 x 308 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia Exhibitions: - Permanent loan to the Kunsthalle Bielefeld (until 2009) - Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn 2011 Literature: - Exhibition catalog: *In the Middle of the Night: New Acquisitions Since 1996*, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Bielefeld 2005, p. 90, ill. - Exhibition catalog: *Arp, Beckmann, Munch, Kirchner, Warhol... Classics in Bonn. The Unknown Collection from Bielefeld*, Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn 2011, p. 150, ill. - Early, large-format room installation from the creative phase that was decisive for Meese’s artistic breakthrough - Characteristic combination of everyday objects, the artist’s figure, and theatrical production to form a comprehensive work of art - Significant exhibition history with presentations at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld and the Bundeskunsthalle Bonn Jonathan Meese is one of the best-known—and above all, one of the most provocative—contemporary German artists. From 1995 to 1998, he studied under Franz Erhard Walther at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts, which he left without earning a degree. That same year, he gained international attention with a room installation at the first Berlin Biennale. His multifaceted body of work encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and theater. Meese develops an expressive, deliberately exuberant visual world in which historical figures, myths, pop culture, and his own persona converge. Under the slogan “Dictatorship of Art,” he calls for the unrestricted rule of art—not the power of the artist. Provocation, pathos, and role-playing serve as his means of questioning notions of authority and identity. The room installation “Jonathan de Large (Me in a Brown Sweatshirt in a Hall Pose, Later a Squaw),” created in 2002, takes us straight to the heart of this artistic universe. At its center, resting on a patterned armchair, is a life-size surrogate figure bearing Meese’s facial features. It is clad in a brown Adidas tracksuit jacket, which for years has served as a sort of “uniform” for the artist’s performances and public appearances. A rug, candles, a clock, a lamp, cables, pictures, and other everyday objects transform the space into a stage-like setting that straddles the line between a private retreat, a place of worship, and an absurd theater. Meese is thus both present and absent: his own appearance becomes the material for a staged artistic role. Objects and symbols coalesce into a deliberately overloaded structure without yielding to a single, unambiguous interpretation. This early installation exemplifies Meese’s radical fusion of art, role-playing, and self-staging. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transportation is available only through a shipping company following consultation after the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros over a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the USA by individual arrangement after the auction. #Jonathan Meese #Figurative Painting #New History Painting #Germany #Contemporary Art #Installation #Interior #2000s #Sculptures. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.