Made of Wood, Wax and Hair by Robert Gober

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

On 15 May 2008, at Phillips de Pury in New York, a sculpture by Robert Gober fetched $ 3.6 million charge included from a low estimate of $ 1.2 million. This work of 52 cm long in wax, wood, cotton, leather and human hair shows a lower male leg with the end of the trousers on one side and shoe and sock on the other side.

That is sufficient to excite the art market: there are two other works by the same artist at some places of honor in the next contemporary art sales in New York.

Let us start with Phillips de Pury. This auction house which is very active on the contemporary art market presents on May 14 an hyperrealist representation in painted wood, 203 x 133 x 61 cm, from a cereal box of Pillsbury brand. Made in 1993-1994, untitled, it is a follower in three dimensions of the Campbell's Soups by Warhol. It is estimated $ 2.5 million.

For the same price at Sotheby's on May 12, here is a sculpture in painted wax, wood and hair of 48 cm high, made in 1990, showing a pair of bare buttocks on which were painted four double staves of a musical score.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

I did not appreciate how the musical buttocks presented by Sotheby's could attract art lovers to the price that was expected. At first I was not ready to discuss it, until there was the coincidence with the sale of Phillips de Pury. The failure of the sale of Sotheby's lot is not related to the economy, since the sale was very successful otherwise.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

The other artwork of Gober, which was the star lot of the evening sale at Phillips de Pury, has not been sold.

We may not love among young artists what we liked in Warhol.