Lot 44 AProperty from the Collection of Mary & John Pappajohn
MARTIN PURYEAR (B. 1941)
Cask Cascade
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Estimate
USD 500,000–700,000
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Specialist note
Executed in 1985, Martin Puryear’s iconic early sculpture Cask Cascade is an exemplar of the artist’s pioneering approach to art. Standing just over five feet tall, it presents an encounter on a human scale as both its gently curved form and tactile surface evokes elements of the human body. Yet, with unmatched craftsmanship, Puryear creates a form that is also abstract and unfamiliar. The present work becomes a innovative example of what would become one of the artist’s signature motifs, and a personal reflection of his unique view of the world.
The materials and form of Cask Cascade are a reflection of Puryear’s unconventional career trajectory. Eschewing a move to New York after college like other many of his contemporaries, he instead joined the Peace Corps and volunteered to teach in Sierra Leone. There, he garnered inspiration for his work from local artists and craftspeople. He recalls, “What I found truly visible and vital was the traditional utilitarian objects—the works of weavers and potters with whom I was in occasional contact…I also got to know a lot of woodworkers and some traditional carvers” (M. Puryear, quoted in J. Elderfield, Martin Puryear, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2007, p. 102). From that point onwards, he has adopted a unique approach to the execution of work, celebrating the process and materials of his sculptures as much as the finished objects themselves. Puryear has never been afraid of being associated with craft, and instead rightfully celebrates the work of artisans alongside so-called ‘high art.’
As critic Roberta Smith writes, “These references seep out of his highly allusive, often poetic forms in waves, evoking the earlier Modernism of Brâncuşi, Arp, Noguchi and Duchamp, but also carpentry, basket weaving, African sculpture and the building of shelter and ships (R. Smith, “Humanity’s Descent, In Three Dimensions,” The New York Times, November 2, 2007). This fearless referentiality certainly influenced artists like Simone Leigh, who has likewise created an instantly recognizable style based on honoring traditional forms of sculpture. Whether one sees a falcon, a plant, or something else entirely, Puryear uses a rich vocabulary of references in his sculpture; perhaps none more celebrated than the Phrygian cap. This felt cap, with its apex bent forward, has been recorded as early as 300 B.C. Through its associations with the pileus, a felt cap worn by emancipated slaves in Rome, it has become a global symbol of freedom, visible widely through both the French and American revolutions. It is now known as the ‘liberty cap’, and stands proudly as the form of our present work.
Cask Cascade dates from a pivotal period in the artist’s career. It was first exhibited in Martin Puryear: Matrix/Berkeley 86 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in 1985. The accompanying catalogue essay again emphasizes Puryear’s distinctive studio practice; “What unifies these disparate works is the clarity and simplicity of their smooth, abstract shapes, the consistent use of wood as the primary material…and the high degree of craftsmanship. Puryear’s acute sensitivity to the qualities and possibilities of the materials is always evident” (C. Lewallan, “Martin Puryear: Matrix/Berkeley 86,” BAMPFA, August 1985). In 1989, Puryear represented the United States in the São Paulo Biennial, where he took home the Grand Prize. That same year he was awarded a MacArthur genius grant, which garnered the critical and curatorial interest that eventually led to Puryear’s 1991-1992 nationwide traveling retrospective, an exhibition which included Cask Cascade. The following year, he was included in documenta IX. Furthermore, in 2011 he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama, and in 2019 he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale.
The materials and form of Cask Cascade are a reflection of Puryear’s unconventional career trajectory. Eschewing a move to New York after college like other many of his contemporaries, he instead joined the Peace Corps and volunteered to teach in Sierra Leone. There, he garnered inspiration for his work from local artists and craftspeople. He recalls, “What I found truly visible and vital was the traditional utilitarian objects—the works of weavers and potters with whom I was in occasional contact…I also got to know a lot of woodworkers and some traditional carvers” (M. Puryear, quoted in J. Elderfield, Martin Puryear, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2007, p. 102). From that point onwards, he has adopted a unique approach to the execution of work, celebrating the process and materials of his sculptures as much as the finished objects themselves. Puryear has never been afraid of being associated with craft, and instead rightfully celebrates the work of artisans alongside so-called ‘high art.’
As critic Roberta Smith writes, “These references seep out of his highly allusive, often poetic forms in waves, evoking the earlier Modernism of Brâncuşi, Arp, Noguchi and Duchamp, but also carpentry, basket weaving, African sculpture and the building of shelter and ships (R. Smith, “Humanity’s Descent, In Three Dimensions,” The New York Times, November 2, 2007). This fearless referentiality certainly influenced artists like Simone Leigh, who has likewise created an instantly recognizable style based on honoring traditional forms of sculpture. Whether one sees a falcon, a plant, or something else entirely, Puryear uses a rich vocabulary of references in his sculpture; perhaps none more celebrated than the Phrygian cap. This felt cap, with its apex bent forward, has been recorded as early as 300 B.C. Through its associations with the pileus, a felt cap worn by emancipated slaves in Rome, it has become a global symbol of freedom, visible widely through both the French and American revolutions. It is now known as the ‘liberty cap’, and stands proudly as the form of our present work.
Cask Cascade dates from a pivotal period in the artist’s career. It was first exhibited in Martin Puryear: Matrix/Berkeley 86 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in 1985. The accompanying catalogue essay again emphasizes Puryear’s distinctive studio practice; “What unifies these disparate works is the clarity and simplicity of their smooth, abstract shapes, the consistent use of wood as the primary material…and the high degree of craftsmanship. Puryear’s acute sensitivity to the qualities and possibilities of the materials is always evident” (C. Lewallan, “Martin Puryear: Matrix/Berkeley 86,” BAMPFA, August 1985). In 1989, Puryear represented the United States in the São Paulo Biennial, where he took home the Grand Prize. That same year he was awarded a MacArthur genius grant, which garnered the critical and curatorial interest that eventually led to Puryear’s 1991-1992 nationwide traveling retrospective, an exhibition which included Cask Cascade. The following year, he was included in documenta IX. Furthermore, in 2011 he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama, and in 2019 he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale.