Dreweatts & Bloomsbury (Bloomsbury)
Lot 4
** Jeremy Deller (b. 1966) - I Love Melancholy, 1993 wall painting comprising stencilled text in black gloss paint on black matt paint, from the edition of 5 stencil sheet 24 x 87 in., 61 x 221 cm, overall dimensions variable Provenance: Cabinet, London. This work is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity from the artist, signed and dated 2000. The work was exhibited to much acclaim at the artist's recent retrospective at the Hayward Gallery, London, in 2012. The artist himself describes this work as follows: "This work was a reaction against the whole 'I ♥ ' or 'I'd rather be " culture in the 1990s. I wanted to celebrate something that wasn't active, dangerous or 'manly'. Something that is actually introverted, non-active and potentially depressing. It was originally a print, but then I later made a wall-painting and then a t-shirt. When this is installed as a wall painting, it often has a human component, a young person quietly reading in the corner of the room." One of Britain s best loved and most popular contemporary artists, Jeremy Deller uses populist media such as posters, T-shirts, television documentaries even bouncy castles to examine the eccentricities of what we consider to be the British psyche. His work is witty and playful, but not disposable: through much of the work lies a charming sentimentality, a poignant inclusiveness and above all a powerful meaning. IMPORTANT: This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
