PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

Tina Barney (b. 1945)
The Portrait
signed, numbered and dated 'Tina Barney #1260 8/10 1984 (1999)' (lower right)
Chromogenic colour print
49⅝ x 62⅞in. (126 x 159.7cm.)
Conceived in 1984 and printed in 1999, this work is number eight from an edition of ten

Provenance:
Janet Borden, New York.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1999.

Literature:
A. Grundberg, Tina Barney - Photographs: Theater of Manners, Zurich 1997 (illustrated in colour, pp. 72-73).

Specialist Notes:

'I began photographing what I knew’ – Tina Barney
Barney’s images are highly detailed tableaux created on a scale that evokes the grand tradition of history painting. And yet at their root, they are about the intimate interactions that occur between human beings: ‘what the photographs are about is family, the interaction of people who come from the same family, usually inside their own home. I don’t know if people realize it’s my family or not’ (T. Barney, quoted in D. Corey ‘Interview with Tina Barney’, Bomb, no. 50, Winter 1995).

Barney’s photographs expose the emotional and psychological currents that course just beneath the surfaces of perfect trappings and banal gestures. In The Portrait, these concepts coalesce to create a highly captivating scene that not only compels the viewer to gaze for a prolonged period, but to immerse themselves in the scene in an attempt to decipher the relationships at play.

Built up from layers of ornate patterns, from the matching wallpaper and bedspread to the dresser and carpet, the bedroom captured by Barney is an exquisite offering of form, colour and texture. Even the trousers of the reclining figure and the apron of the housekeeper play a role in this meticulously balanced composition. As Barney explains, ‘I want to make approaching the image possible. I want every object as clear and precise as possible so that the viewer can really examine them and feel as if they are entering the room. I want my pictures to say, “You can come inside here. This is not a forbidden place.” I want you to be with us and to share this existence with us. I want every single thing to be seen, the beauty of it all: the textures, the fabrics, the colors, the china, the furniture, the architecture’ (T. Barney, quoted in D. Corey ‘Interview with Tina Barney’, Bomb, no. 50, Winter 1995).

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.