1950 -
American
Truisms (Toronto)
photostat (diptych), 1982
32 1/4 x 21 3/4 in, 81.9 x 55.2 cm
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000 CAD
Sold for: $2,500
Preview at: Heffel Vancouver
PROVENANCE
Caviar20, Toronto
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Vancouver, 2019
Please note: each work measures 32 1/4 x 21 3/4 inches.
The works produced as part of Jenny Holzer's "Truisms" series are some of her best-known and most celebrated. Beginning in 1977, while Holzer was still a student, she began writing collections of aphorisms, slogans, innocuous clichés and clever one-liners, producing lines of text that numbered in the hundreds. Listed in alphabetical order, these were printed on sheets of inexpensive paper and plastered on the buildings, walls, and public spaces around New York City, recalling the direct and universalizing—but ultimately disposable—messaging of advertising copy and billboards. In 1982, Holzer was invited by Toronto's A Space Gallery to stage one of these public interventions. Working with students at OCAD, these truisms were posted across the city. Rendered with clarity and humour, the compelling but ephemeral messaging of Holzer's one-liners become a subversive conflation of the personal and the political.
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
Although great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information posted, errors and omissions may occur. All bids are subject to our
Terms and Conditions of Business. Bidders must ensure they have satisfied themselves with the
condition of the Lot prior to bidding. Condition reports are available upon request.