Tina Modotti (Italian, 1896-1942) Louis Bunin Puppets from Eugene O'Neil's "The Hairy Ape" (5 works), 1929 Gelatin silver prints 9-3/8 x 7-1/2 inches (23.8 x 19.1 cm) to 3-5/8 x 2-1/2 inches (image/sheets) Three with photographer's stamp, verso. PROVENANCE: Puppeteer Louis Bunin (1904-1994); Sotheby's New York, Photographs, April 17, 1991, lots 206 & 207; Private collection. EXHIBITED: Hands of the Puppeteer (policeman) and Yank Lying on the Ground Philadelphia Museum of Art, September 16, 1995-November 26, 1995; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 17, 1995-February 25, 1996; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art March 28, 1996-June 2, 1996. LITERATURE: S. Lowe, Tina Modotti: Photographs, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1995, plates 110 & 111, Hands of the Puppeteer (policeman) and Yank Lying on the Ground. In the fall of 1929, Tina Modotti worked with artist and puppeteer Louis Bunin to create a series of photographs capturing Bunin and his marionettes. Like Modotti, Bunin, who was born in Russia, shared a strong interest in leftist politics. He had studied at The Art Institute of Chicago and had written to Diego Rivera asking if he would accept him as an apprentice. Bunin came to Mexico to work with Pablo O'Higgins on the National Palace murals. At the same time, he began to experiment with marionettes. Both Modotti and Bunin viewed folk art and theater as a powerful medium for conveying social and political messages, especially to a largely illiterate population. Bunin staged a marionette adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's expressionist, anti-establishment play, The Hairy Ape, at the Casa del Indio in Mexico City. The play's themes of class struggle made it an ideal choice for Bunin and his marionettes, to express his leftist ideals. The Hairy Ape tells the story of Bob "Yank" Smith, a laborer on an ocean liner, who spirals into mental and physical decline after being insulted by a ship owner's daughter. As Yank wanders the streets of New York, searching for a sense of belonging, he visits a zoo and, believing he and a gorilla are kindred spirits, attempts to release the animal. The gorilla attacks Yank, fatally crushing his ribs and throwing him into the cage where he dies. In one of the photographs, Yank is shown lying on the ground. In Modotti's image, he is depicted as a figure consumed by despair, struggling against his position in society, yet manipulated by the invisible hands of a puppeteer. The photograph subtly implies, however, that it is the puppet master who ultimately controls the strings. At the time of writing her book and putting together the exhibition, Sarah Lowe believed that the Hands of the Puppeteer (policeman) and Yank Lying on the Ground were unique prints. The other prints she thought only one or two other copies exist. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved