Gutachten:
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Provenienz:
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Ausstellungen:
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Ausstellung:
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Literatur:
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Provenance:
- Emmanuel David, Paris, acquired directly from the artist and by descent to the next generation.
- Auction Sotheby's, London, 23.10.2001, lot 284.
- Swiss private collection, acquired at the above auction.

Literature:
Yann le Pichon and Maurice Garnier: Bernard Buffet 1982–1999, Switzerland 2007, vol. 3, p. 20, no. 930 (with ill.).

Bernard Buffet's depiction of an Oldsmobile Super 88 belongs to a series of works based on the theme of automobiles. The artist has emblematically staged the utilitarian object and elevated it in its illustrative appearance to the rank of a work of art. The reduction of the vehicle to its essential elements shows a striking closeness to Pop Art, with its focus on the seriality and banality of manufactured products. Given the fact that Buffet himself was unable to drive, the fascination with the "American Dream" in its reduced form seems rather ironic. With his partner, Pierre Bergé, he shared a passion for collecting that was born less of a love of motorsports than of the aesthetics of the objects — initially travelling by bicycle and moped, the couple would soon own a Citroën CV2, a Jaguar XK120 and a Rolls-Royce. This list in itself is sufficient to provide an idea of the importance of this series in Buffet's oeuvre and in his personal life. Thus through his artistic transformation, Buffet has successfully and impressively liberated an everyday object from its mundanity.