Ken Price (American 1935 - 2012)
‘Chairs, Table, Rug ‘ 1971
from the ‘Interior series’
Screen print printed in 14 colored inks on off white Arjomari paper.
Impression #75 of an Edition of 75
Signed lower right in pencil
Prince ‘71 CHAIRS, TABLE, RUG, CUP #75/75
sheet size 130,8 x 105,4 cm (51 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches)
Produced in Los Angeles printed by Gemini G.e.l (Kenneth Tyler collaboration)
Catalogue raisonné
Gemini G.E.L (1984), 335; Gemini G.E.L (2005, online), 39.12
Exhibited at the American Federation of Arts, New York, NY. "New Editions 71/72" November 1972 - November 1973.
Provenance:
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, NY. Anderson Gallery, Buffalo, New York.
David K. Anderson Grandchildren's Trust.
Labouret Private Gallery, LLC.
About
born in California Price was noted primarily for his work in ceramics, though he also established a reputation as a printmaker. Price worked with renowned printshop Gemini GEL between 1970 and 1971 where he created his Interior series from which this one is featured.
Price's creative influences range from Mexican and indigenous American Indian folk pottery, to Japanese ceramics and turn of the XIX century french sculpture.
This print features 14 bright layered color from the rug to the chairs to the table to the cup to finally reach the uncolored space of its raw paper surface as it project its infinite possibilities of vanishing points.
The tension is held together at the center of the image by the erotically charged ceramic cup with its arched female nude handle as she seems to be pulling away from her scene about to enter our own interior.
anecdote: the rightly appropriated cup handle comes most certainly from Price having seen a bronze by the early XX century french sculptor Emile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) titled ‘Low vase with naked woman in the shape of a handle ‘ conceived in 1892 but only produced in 1970, the year when Ken Price introduces his own California cool version of the vase.