Lot 1

The Refco Collection F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that "in American life there are no second acts". The history of the Refco Collection puts the lie to this statement. Over the past two decades there have existed two distinct iterations of the Refco Collection, one encompassing work in all media, which was dispersed in the late-1990's, and the current manifestation, which has focused specifically upon the medium of photography in all its possible interpretations. The Refco Collection began with the essential notion, on the part of its instigator Frances Dittmer, that the art on the walls of a corporate office could be challenging and reflective of the time and ideas in which they are situated. This continued to be the underlying conceptual thread that bound together the activity of developing the collection. Whether in the form of Minimalist sculpture by Donald Judd or Dan Flavin, self-reflective socio-political work by Hans Haacke, or in the charged examinations of the human condition of Bruce Nauman, the art at Refco has always been more than interior decoration. When the emphasis of the Collection shifted at the end of the 1990's, we made a relatively conscious decision to begin an investigation of what a photograph is, not simply materially or formally, but also from a conceptual, social, political and cultural standpoint, and indeed while the media specificity of the collection may have tightened, the focus actually broadened. The presumed familiarity of the photographic surface to most viewers, who, after all, will have likely made photographs themselves, allows the medium to be accessible and strange at the same time. A collection that asks as many questions as the Refco Collection is bound to elicit responses from the individuals who see it every day, and for me this has always been one of the most interesting points of interaction. The role and meaning of contemporary art in contemporary life has been the central premise of discussions between myself and those who have worked side by side with the art, and it has been a privilege to act as the advocate on behalf of the work and the artists who created it, especially in the face of often animated critiques of particular pieces. A body of work that produced nothing but positive reactions would be as disappointing as one that produced no response at all. The catalyzing nature of the collection to act as a mirror to the culture that produced it has been a source of thought, debate and ultimately, I believe, an enriching of the environment in which the work functioned, and it's an experience that will endure beyond the physical dispersal of the collection. Adam Brooks Refco Curator, 1986-2006

Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948)

North Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Moher II

Details

Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948)
North Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Moher II
signed, titled and numbered 'North Atlantic Ocean Cliffs of Moher II Hiroshi Sugimoto 1/25' (on the reverse)
gelatin silver print
20 x 23¾ in. (50.8 x 60.4 cm.)
Executed in 1989. This work is number one from an edition of twenty-five.

Provenance

Sonnabend, New York

Lot Essay

For the past twenty-five years, Hiroshi Sugimoto has traversed the globe to stand on cliffs overlooking the ocean. He trains his lens on the expanse before him and records the view with a black-and-white, large format camera, making sure to avoid dramatic weather and the presence of humans or ships. His photographs, always bisected by a wispy horizon line, chart a stunning range of natural effects, including changes in clouds, light, water, and atmosphere. Here, Sugimoto shot the Atlantic Ocean from the precipitous Cliffs of Moher in western Ireland, where the sea meets the sky in a gently warping curve.
Sugimoto finds inspiration in the romantic vistas of 19th century and Renaissance landscape painting, and although the effects he documents would not be possible without photography, his work possesses the grandeur and sublime scope of large abstract paintings. His technical proficiency allows for the capture of exceptional detail, relaying the awesome depth of field visible from his cliffside post. Sugimoto's photographs evoke the timelessness and infinity long associated with their primeval subject.
infinity long associated with their primeval subject.

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