IMAGE DETAILS

Almine Rech

Tom Wesselmann (USA, Ohio 1931-2004 New York)
'Smoker Study (For Smoker #11)', 1972
Oil on canvas
29.2 x 29.2 cm
46.4 x 46.4 x 3.8 cm (framed)
Examined by the WPI's Wesselmann committee on December 13th, 2023, for inclusion in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné
Provenance: estate of the artist

'Smoker Study (For Smoker #11)', 1972 belongs to Tom Wesselmann’s Smoker series, which he started working on in the late 1960s. Wesselmann had been developing his 'Great American Nudes' series when he was inspired to focus on specific details of female figures. In a somewhat fetishising act, he started making both smaller preparatory pieces and larger scale works depicting hands, breasts and lips. Out of this approach his 'Mouth' paintings and preparatory works were born.