Pair of Figural Plaster Wall Sconces by Gerald Laing

Included here is a pair of matching sconces crafted from white plaster by the noted British Pop artist, Gerald Laing (1936-), while teaching at Columbia University in New York City in 1986. Each measures 12" wide and 30" high. Each is wired and ready for use, and each is in excellent condition, with no deep scratches or chips. Each is signed by the artist. He has depicted here a masculine figure holding a vessel over his head. Laing titled this work simply Caryatid Sconce, refering to the Greek term for architectural figural columns commonly seen in neo-classical and French Empire style furnishings of the eighteenth century. In the 1960s Laing became one of the most important and influential British artists of the Pop art movement. In London during the early 1960s was a pioneer in the creation of large scale canvases based on newspaper photographs of models, astronauts and film stars. His 1962 portrait of Brigitte Bardot is an iconic work of the period and has been included in important retrospectives of the Pop art period. His work was purchased by many important collectors as well as major museums including the Whitney and Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the National Gallery, Tate Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum in London. In the late 1960s Laing returned to Scotland where his focus turned to sculpture. He has lived and worked in the UK for most of the past thirty years, but has also taught at the University of New Mexico (1976-1977), lived and worked in Aspen Colorado (1972, 1983-1984), and taught at Columbia University in New York. He has completed over 45 individual exhibitions at galleries and institutions in London, New York, Coventry, Aspen, Edinburgh, Baca Raton, Houston and elsewhere. A sculptural retrospective of his work was held at the Fine Art Society in London in February 2008, and in October 2008 held a solo exhibition of new paintings in London. These sconces reside in our client's gallery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (New York City) and may be seen in person by appointment. ( hantiques )