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Lot 45AR

Lawrence Holofcener
(born 1926)
Maquette for Allies 52 cm. (20 1/2 in.) long (including the base)

28 May 2014, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £41,250 inc. premium

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Lawrence Holofcener (born 1926)

Maquette for Allies
signed, dated and numbered 'L holofcener 97 22/50'; further signed with monogram (on the back of the base) and titled (on the front of the base)
bronze with a brown patina on a wooden base
52 cm. (20 1/2 in.) long (including the base)

Footnotes

Provenance
The Artist, from whom acquired by the family of the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.

"I normally create a maquette before attempting life-size, but I was impetuous. Besides, I had already created several sketches in clay at the King Edward VI School in Southampton where I was artist-in-residence, plus a half-life size in the States.

Allies sat on Bond Street for several years when Gill Catto of the Catto Gallery in Hampstead asked me for a maquette, thinking to sell them. It didn't exist, I told her. She asked if I would consider creating one, marketing an edition of 50. I thought she would be lucky to sell 2 or 3, then Gill's husband offered to buy #1. Immediately, I started on it with their caveat that it be exactly 1/4 life-size of the one on Bond Street, no variations, no improvements. I agreed. Barlow Tyrie, which had supplied the big bench, created an exact 1/4 size bench. I modelled two unclothed clay figures and paused, stumped: how was I to create an exact 1/4 life-size without having my life-size in front of me?

Simple: Julia and I drove to Bond Street from our Isle of Wight home, plus table, chair, tools, clay and the little bench. We set it all before the life-size sculpture and I got to work. "Are you an art-student? (Do I look like a student?). Have you the artist's permission? (The artist is dead). How about the City of Westminster? (I'll be gone before they catch me)."

(In conversation with the artist, April 2013)

Additional information

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