Urs Fischer's Untitled (Lamp/Bear) is currently on display outside the Seagram Building in New York where it will remain until September. The artist has chosen to have the lamp and the bear occupy virtually the same space, hence the odd overlap. Here's what Christie's, which sold the piece, has to say about it:
URS FISCHER (B. 1973)
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
cast bronze, epoxy primer, urethane paint, acrylic polyurethane topcoat, acrylic glass, gas discharge lamp, stainless-steel framework
275 5/8 x 255 7/8 x 295 1/4 in. (700 x 650 x 749.9 cm.)
Executed in 2005-2006
Price realized: $6,802,500
World auction record for the artist
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
cast bronze, epoxy primer, urethane paint, acrylic polyurethane topcoat, acrylic glass, gas discharge lamp, stainless-steel framework
275 5/8 x 255 7/8 x 295 1/4 in. (700 x 650 x 749.9 cm.)
Executed in 2005-2006
Price realized: $6,802,500
World auction record for the artist
On 11 May 2011, Christie’s offered Urs Fischer’s Untitled (Lamp/Bear), as a highlight of its Post-War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale. The sculpture went on to realize $6,802,500 and set a new world record for the artist at auction. Christie’s partnered with the Seagram Building, the architectural masterpiece by Mies van der Rohe in midtown Manhattan, to arrange for an outdoor exhibition of the sculpture on the building’s plaza so that the city at large might enjoy this special glimpse into the creative genius of one of today’s most provocative young artists.Admired for his playful and provocative works, Fischer’s towering teddy bear functions as a universal symbol of childhood memory and evokes a multitude of interpretations and emotions, from wonder to nostalgia to tongue-in-cheek humor. Fischer – whose first name is derived from the Latin word for bear – has said the sculpture’s slumping form, button eyes, and fuzzy yellow texture were inspired by his own much-loved teddy bear. The added touch of a working bedside table lamp above the figure’s head is functional, so that the bear can be lit up at night, creating a true spectacle.To create Untitled (Lamp/Bear), the artist sewed together a teddy bear that was approximately one foot tall and scanned the object using a 3-D laser. He then used the scan to generate the working drawings for a stainless steel interior framework and cast-bronze exterior. The finished bear with its exterior coating of paint and lacquer weighs 35,000 pounds.
© the Artist. Courtesy of the Artist.
Urs Fischer, Untitled (Lamp/Bear), 2005-2006, in construction. © the Artist. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen. Photo courtesy of Katalin Deér.
© the Artist. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen.
© the Artist. Courtesy of the artist and Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen.
Urs Fischer, Untitled (Lamp/Bear), 2005-2006. Illustrated: number two from an edition of two plus one artist's proof. © the Artist. Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich. Photo courtesy of Cary Whittier.
Urs Fischer (b. 1973)
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
Images
Price Realized
- $6,802,500
- Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
- Estimate on request
Sale Information
Sale 2440 Lot 32
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale
11 May 2011
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Contact the Department
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale
11 May 2011
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Contact the Department
Lot Description
Urs Fischer (b. 1973)
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
cast bronze, epoxy primer, urethane paint, acrylic polyurethane topcoat, acrylic glass, gas discharge lamp, and stainless-steel framework
275 5/8 x 255 7/8 x 295¼ in. (700 x 650 x 749.9 cm.)
Executed in 2005-2006. This work is number one from an edition of two plus one artist's proof.
Provenance
Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich
Private collection, Paris
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Literature
C. Garcia, "Digging In," Art+Auction, October 2009, vol. XXXIII, no. 2, p. 41 (another example illustrated in color).
U. Fischer and A. Zachary, ed., Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York, 2009, pp. 411-416 (another example illustrated in color).
Exhibited
Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Urs Fischer--Paris 1919, April-May 2006, pp. 54-57, 77 and 83 (prototype exhibited, illustrated in color).
Lot Description
Urs Fischer (b. 1973)
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
cast bronze, epoxy primer, urethane paint, acrylic polyurethane topcoat, acrylic glass, gas discharge lamp, and stainless-steel framework
275 5/8 x 255 7/8 x 295¼ in. (700 x 650 x 749.9 cm.)
Executed in 2005-2006. This work is number one from an edition of two plus one artist's proof.
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
cast bronze, epoxy primer, urethane paint, acrylic polyurethane topcoat, acrylic glass, gas discharge lamp, and stainless-steel framework
275 5/8 x 255 7/8 x 295¼ in. (700 x 650 x 749.9 cm.)
Executed in 2005-2006. This work is number one from an edition of two plus one artist's proof.
Provenance
Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich
Private collection, Paris
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Private collection, Paris
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Literature
C. Garcia, "Digging In," Art+Auction, October 2009, vol. XXXIII, no. 2, p. 41 (another example illustrated in color).
U. Fischer and A. Zachary, ed., Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York, 2009, pp. 411-416 (another example illustrated in color).
U. Fischer and A. Zachary, ed., Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York, 2009, pp. 411-416 (another example illustrated in color).
Exhibited
Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Urs Fischer--Paris 1919, April-May 2006, pp. 54-57, 77 and 83 (prototype exhibited, illustrated in color).
WATCH VIDEO
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On View: Urs Fischer's
Untitled (Lamp/Bear)
Video added April 24, 2012
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