Ron Mueck (b. 1958)

Untitled is a compelling example of Ron Mueck's sculptural practice. A plaster cast of the preparatory model for Mask (1997), this work recalls one of Mueck's most celebrated works exhibited in the 1997 exhibition Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. As noted in Mueck's National Gallery exhibition catalogue: 'Confronting a work by Ron Mueck is an uncanny experience... It is not that we actually think that they are alive, however, and there is not the momentary jolt of confusion that a sideways glimpse of a life-size dummy can deliver. Our experience of Mueck's illusion of life is more rewarding and prolonged because we are willing participants in the deception. In fact, our amazement is predicated on our awareness of deceit, and our pleasure lies in finding it out. We relish the contradictory messages of eyes and brain, the questioning of our senses. The overwhelming desire to touch that all viewers seem to feel is an urge to corroborate their eyes' impression of living warmth and softness.' (S. Greeves, 'Verisimilitude: technique and taboo', Ron Mueck, exh. cat., London, National Gallery, 2003, p. 44).