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Mike Bidlo

(United States, Born 1953)
Estimate
60 000 - 80 000 SEK
5 310 - 7 070 EUR
5 430 - 7 240 USD
Hammer price
60 000 SEK
Purchasing info
Image rights

The artworks in this database are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the rights holders. The artworks are reproduced in this database with a license from Bildupphovsrätt.

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Louise Wrede
Stockholm
Louise Wrede
Specialist Contemporary Art, Private Sales
+46 (0)739 40 08 19
Mike Bidlo
(United States, Born 1953)

"Not Yves Klein's Anthropometries"

Executed October 9th, 1986. Acrylic on paper 103 x 72.5 cm.

Provenance

A gift from the artist in connection with the performance at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, in 1986.

Exhibitions

Moderna Museet, Stockholm, "Not Yves Klein", 9 October 1986.

More information

Mike Bidlo (b. 1953, USA) is known for his replications of masterworks and is described in a Moderna Museet pamphlet from 1986 as “a forger, cannibal, re-creator, copyist, ‘appropriationist’”.
Bidlo is an internationally established artist who has, during his long career, recreated several important 20th century art historical events and works. Bidlo began his career in 1982 when he was awarded a studio at MoMA PS1, where he staged ‘Jack the Dripper at Peg’s Place’. The installation was a re-enactment of the time Jackson Pollock used Peggy Guggenheim’s fireplace as a urinal. The following years he studied Jackson Pollock’s painting, which resulted in works included in the series ‘Not Pollock’.
In 1985 Bidlo commenced ‘Not Klein’, a performance series based on Yves Klein’s ‘Anthropométries de l’époque bleue’, performed in Paris at the Galerie Internationale d’Art Contemporain on the 9th of March 1960. The show ‘Not Klein’ was performed on four occasions; 1985 in New York City, 1986 at Moderna Museet in Stockholm, 1988 in Tokyo, and 1989 in Seattle. Like Klein Bidlo also wore a tuxedo and white gloves, and was assisted by three nude models acting as paintbrushes. He directed them on a stage whilst an orchestra of twenty musicians performed Klein’s ‘Symphonie monotone’.
The piece in the auction was bought at the event at Moderna Museet in Stockholm on the 9th of October, 1986, and has been with the same owner ever since.
Other art events and works recreated by Bidlo include Andy Warhol’s Factory, where he played Warhol and thirty-nine of his friends took the roles of various personalities surrounding Warhol. He did a full size version of Picasso’s Guernica, and created a series of paintings entitled ‘Picasso’s Women 1901-1971’, which were exhibited in 1988 at Leo Castelli Gallery and which are now being sold for millions. Georgia O’Keeffe, Magritte, Léger, Brancusi and Duchamp are some of the many well-established artists that Bidlo has appropriated. In 2022 Bidlo had a major retrospective, ‘Nostalgia for Scandal’, at Galleria Mazzoli, Modena, exhibiting sixteen artworks created between 1984 and 2022. His work is included in several museum collections and has been exhibited across the world.

Artist

Mark Bidlo, born 1953, USA was known for replicating masterpieces and during his long career has recreated several meaningful art historical events and pieces from the 20th century. Bidlo began his career in 1982, when he got given a studio at MoMA PS1 where he staged ”Jack the Dripper at Peg’s Place”. The installation interpreted the moment when Jackson Pollock used Peggy Guggenheim’s fireplace as a urinal. In the following years Jackson Pollock studied painting, resulting in a series of works known as “Not Pollock”.
Beyond Pollock, Bidlo has recreated other art events and works, such as Andy Warhol's Factory, where he portrayed Warhol and engaged 39 friends to play various personalities surrounding Warhol. He also tackled Picasso’s “Guernica” in full scale and presented “Picasso’s Women 1901-1971” at Leo Castelli Gallery in 1988, which now fetches millions at auctions. Georgia O’Keeffe and Magritte, Léger, Brancusi, and Duchamp are among the other artists which Bidlo has appropriated.
In 2022, Mike Bidlo held a major retrospective titled "Nostalgia for Scandal" at Galleria Mazzoli in Modena, where 16 works created between 1984 and 2022 were exhibited. His works are included in numerous museum collections and have been exhibited worldwide, solidifying his place as a significant figure in contemporary art known for his meticulous recreations of iconic art moments and works.

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