Art Work of the Month May 2010

Andreas Jaeggi 20040715a

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Yes, that is right: the resemblance leaves something to be desired. This head is supposed to represent Barbra Streisand. Hmmm ... I started this sculpture (there exists a second monochrome version of it) at the end of my study years in the late 1970s. I finished it only some years ago. Therefore, it has been a very long working process. This variation witnesses my fascination with the 19th century French artist-architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, who was influenced by art styles from before his time and who used them in just the same way the Disney imperium handles the past nowadays. This work is inspired by painted Florentine busts which belong to the most accomplished group of artworks I know. One especially striking example is the head of an "Unknown Florentine Woman" in the Louvre, in painted and gold leafed wood from the third quarter of the 15th century. Unfortunately, this sculpture can be seen only very rarely and then, most of the time, not in proper lighting which doesn't do justice to the inner beauty of this masterpiece.

Andreas Jaeggi:
"Barbra Streisand"
Painted Plaster with Gold Leaf
20" x 14" x 10"
1976 to 2002