Lot 3461 - A207 PostWar & Contemporary - Thursday, 30. November 2023, 02.00 PM
HOLGER BUNK
(Essen 1954-lives and works in Soest/Westphalia)
Beesi Müüler (Jackie Kennedy and Onassis). 1978.
Tempera on nettle, 2-parts.
Signed lower right: BUNK.
Painting in 2 parts: 184 × 245 cm / 50 × 245 cm.
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the artist, April 2023, Soest/Westphalia. We thank him for his kind assistance.
Provenance: Private collection Switzerland.
Exhibition: Basel 1978, Hammer I. Galerie Handschirn, 23 September - 29 October.
Literature: Bardon, Annie/Friedrich, Kasten/von Wiese, Stephan: Holger Bunk. Mannheim, 1986, p. 80 (with ill.)
Holger Bunk was born in Essen in 1954. He studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1974 to 1982 under Professor Alfonso Hüppi, with whom he was also a master’s student in 1978. Since 1992 Bunk has been a professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart.
Set against the context of art education at the Düsseldorf Art Academy that was more oriented towards abstraction, and the exhibition industry that was dominated by conceptual art, as early as the 1970s Holger Bunk made a conscious decision in favour of figurative painting. Independently, and somewhat as a lone figure, Bunk advocated the resurrection of the figurative in art history, and showed an enthusiasm for English and American Pop Art.
In the foreground of his paintings, figures, living beings and objects appear. His works are snapshots of reality but with a personal slant. He observes, interprets and stages situations in which the people depicted are shown in a certain posture and psychological state. The work offered here from 1978 "Beesi Müüler" is a wonderful example of Holger Bunk's oeuvre. Created as a large-format diptych, the image appears in shades of black, white and grey and has something of the souvenir photograph about it. It looks like a shot in which three figures jovially spring into action, transforming the space, which is probably a bar, into an atmospheric and narrative scene. This diptych projects a scenario that promises to tell a story and yet the viewer is left with unanswered questions. Bunk's painting is figurative, but it is neither realistic nor expressive. In this painted space, the artist has skilfully depicted a situation in which something remains hidden from the viewer.
In 1978 Holger Bunk took part in the legendary "Hammer Exhibition" in Basel. In an empty factory building, the young artist was allocated an entire room in which he displayed, amongst other things, the present work. The gallery owner Felix Handschirn organized this exhibition, which brought together the experimental avant-garde of his time, including Jean Tinguely, Bernhard Luginbühl, Niki de Saint Phalle and Eva Aeppli, and they presented visitors with completely new challenges in the way art is received. In addition, an extensive supporting programme with catering and a newspaper made the exhibition a controversial public attraction.
Provenance: Private collection Switzerland.
Exhibition: Basel 1978, Hammer I. Galerie Handschirn, 23 September - 29 October.
Literature: Bardon, Annie/Friedrich, Kasten/von Wiese, Stephan: Holger Bunk. Mannheim, 1986, p. 80 (with ill.)
Holger Bunk was born in Essen in 1954. He studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1974 to 1982 under Professor Alfonso Hüppi, with whom he was also a master’s student in 1978. Since 1992 Bunk has been a professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart.
Set against the context of art education at the Düsseldorf Art Academy that was more oriented towards abstraction, and the exhibition industry that was dominated by conceptual art, as early as the 1970s Holger Bunk made a conscious decision in favour of figurative painting. Independently, and somewhat as a lone figure, Bunk advocated the resurrection of the figurative in art history, and showed an enthusiasm for English and American Pop Art.
In the foreground of his paintings, figures, living beings and objects appear. His works are snapshots of reality but with a personal slant. He observes, interprets and stages situations in which the people depicted are shown in a certain posture and psychological state. The work offered here from 1978 "Beesi Müüler" is a wonderful example of Holger Bunk's oeuvre. Created as a large-format diptych, the image appears in shades of black, white and grey and has something of the souvenir photograph about it. It looks like a shot in which three figures jovially spring into action, transforming the space, which is probably a bar, into an atmospheric and narrative scene. This diptych projects a scenario that promises to tell a story and yet the viewer is left with unanswered questions. Bunk's painting is figurative, but it is neither realistic nor expressive. In this painted space, the artist has skilfully depicted a situation in which something remains hidden from the viewer.
In 1978 Holger Bunk took part in the legendary "Hammer Exhibition" in Basel. In an empty factory building, the young artist was allocated an entire room in which he displayed, amongst other things, the present work. The gallery owner Felix Handschirn organized this exhibition, which brought together the experimental avant-garde of his time, including Jean Tinguely, Bernhard Luginbühl, Niki de Saint Phalle and Eva Aeppli, and they presented visitors with completely new challenges in the way art is received. In addition, an extensive supporting programme with catering and a newspaper made the exhibition a controversial public attraction.
CHF 2 000 / 3 000 | (€ 2 060 / 3 090)
Sold for CHF 3 750 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.