50 States

Details

Clive Barker (b. 1940)
50 States
signed and dated 'Clive Barker 1970' (lower right)
crayon and silver paint on engraving on Connecticut envelope
4 1/8 x 9½ in. (10.4 x 24.2 cm.)
Executed between 1969-1971. This work is made up of 50 individual envelopes. (50)

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The present works were executed when Barker visited 22 States of America. Each individual envelope (50 in all) represents one State of America and Barker created a unique design for each - starting in New York. Barker states he 'played on the names of the States ... Certain things just shot out at me. Sometimes relating to the nickname of the state, for example for Kentucky I did a play on Fort Knox and Missouri I did Show Me as it's the Show Me State' (Clive Barker, private correspondence, 12 October 2005).

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