As of Nov 23, 2024

PETER FISCHLI & DAVID WEISS

Lot 3473
Untitled, 2001
Polyurethane, painted

31.5 x 19.7 x 17.3 in (80.0 x 50.0 x 44.0 cm)

Lot 3473
Untitled, 2001
Polyurethane, painted
31.5 x 19.7 x 17.3 in (80.0 x 50.0 x 44.0 cm)

Estimate: CHF 70,000 - 100,000
€ 75,000 - 107,000
Auction: 4 days

Koller Auktionen AG

Auction: Nov 28, 2024 04:00 PM
Auction number: a211
Auction name: PostWar & Contemporary
Lot Details
Signed and dated on the underside of the cube and the bowl: Fischli David Weiss 2001. Unlike Marcel Duchamp, however, Fischli/Weiss go one step further: the sculpture presented here is not a "Readymade" - an everyday object found in their studio and elevated to the status of a work of art by recontextualisation. Rather, it is a carefully hand-carved polyurethane sculpture, made as a deceptively realistic copy of the everyday object, but, due to the material properties, it is not functional. The artist duo is ostensibly concerned with deception and perception, reality and imitation, appearance and existence, but the work would not pass a real-life test and, if used, would be easily recognisable as a replica. "Duchamp's "Readymades" have the potential to migrate back into the real world (you could use the shovel to dig snow), but Fischli and Weiss's objects would crumble or break if they were put back into use."1 However, this is not relevant in the museum context. Objects may not be touched, handled or picked up. In this way, Fischli/Weiss once again undermine the much-discussed juxtaposition of sublime art and banal everyday objects, because this is not an everyday object: it has always been a fabricated work of art. By suspending the utilitarian character, these artists, tongue-in-cheek, open up a space for contemplation and for special attention to the object, thus changing the way people can perceive and appreciate the objects around them.
Lot Details
Signed and dated on the underside of the cube and the bowl: Fischli David Weiss 2001. Unlike Marcel Duchamp, however, Fischli/Weiss go one step further: the sculpture presented here is not a "Readymade" - an everyday object found in their studio and elevated to the status of a work of art by recontextualisation. Rather, it is a carefully hand-carved polyurethane sculpture, made as a deceptively realistic copy of the everyday object, but, due to the material properties, it is not functional. The artist duo is ostensibly concerned with deception and perception, reality and imitation, appearance and existence, but the work would not pass a real-life test and, if used, would be easily recognisable as a replica. "Duchamp's "Readymades" have the potential to migrate back into the real world (you could use the shovel to dig snow), but Fischli and Weiss's objects would crumble or break if they were put back into use."1 However, this is not relevant in the museum context. Objects may not be touched, handled or picked up. In this way, Fischli/Weiss once again undermine the much-discussed juxtaposition of sublime art and banal everyday objects, because this is not an everyday object: it has always been a fabricated work of art. By suspending the utilitarian character, these artists, tongue-in-cheek, open up a space for contemplation and for special attention to the object, thus changing the way people can perceive and appreciate the objects around them.

PETER FISCHLI & DAVID WEISS Artist presented in curated searches
Art auctions - from all over the world
- At a glance!
Art auctions - from all over the world
At a glance!
ios_instruction