Footnotes

Provenance
Pace Gallery, New York
Malmberg International Art Bagersgatan, Malmö, Sweden (acquired from the above in 1981)
Private Collection, Europe (acquired circa early 1980s)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Exhibited
New York, Pace Gallery, Jim Dine: Recent Work, 6 November - 5 December 1981 (illustrated n.p.)


Jim Dine is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation. Since his first solo exhibition in New York in 1960, his diverse body of work that includes painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking, has been the focus of over 300 solo exhibitions globally, most recently at the Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù in Venice.

Painted in 1981, A Study/Your Yard, features one of the most enduring motifs in Jim Dine's oeuvre: the heart. Initially inspired by his former wife, Nancy Minto, the heart emerged as a symbol of love and emotional intimacy. Although universally recognisable, Dine's appropriation of the motif within the context of contemporary art lends it a distinctively personal and psychological depth, transforming a familiar icon into a vehicle for introspection and expression.

Although Dine is frequently associated with the Pop Art movement due to his use of familiar, everyday imagery, such as hearts, bathrobes, and tools, his approach diverges from the ironic detachment characteristic of many Pop artists. Instead, his subjects are rendered with deep emotional resonance, conveyed through expressive brushwork, innovative printmaking methods, and large-scale sculptural forms.

A self-identified romantic, Jim Dine has long employed the heart as a recurring formal device to explore the interplay of colour, texture, and composition. Through the persistent reworking of this condensed visual lexicon, he has transformed the once-familiar motif into a distinctive, autobiographical emblem. A Study/Your Yard exemplifies this transformation, fusing emotional resonance with formal innovation. Moving beyond the conventions of Pop Art, Dine's work reflects an ongoing inquiry into memory, identity, and artistic process, affirming his enduring influence on the landscape of contemporary art.