Lee Bontecou
(1931 - ) |
|
Art Work
| Name: |
Lee Bontecou |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Place of Birth: |
Providence, Rhode Island |
| Nationality: |
|
| Birth: |
1931 |
| Death: |
|
| Website: |
|
| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
|
|
Quick Facts
| Known For: |
|
| Medium: |
|
| Method: |
Constructions |
| Style: |
|
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Sculpture
|
|
|
Biography
Writing in Arts Magazine in April 1965, artist and critic Donald Judd described Lee Bontecou's work as 'explicit and powerful'. He found her large relief constructions 'threatening'. In a mixture of materials including canvas, leather, denim and rope, welded steel, found metal objects such as saw blades, and with voids lined with black velvet, they looked like orifices, particularly parts of the female body, and also weapons, mines and war heads. Her drawings depicted similarly sinister, suggestive imagery.
Much has been made of Bontecou's representation of feminine sexuality, her creation of what can be seen as a series of vicious Vagina dentata'. This subject matter, and her use of fabric and metal, have echoes in the work of Cathy de Monchaux But seeing Bontecou's art solely in terms of its 'femininity' downplays her contribution to art history. Judd saw her as 'one of the first to use a three-dimensional form that was neither painting nor sculpture'. Eva Hesse was another admirer. And Bontecou's art has developed, becoming organic, lyrical and more figurative. In works made of plastic the forms offish and flowers seem to appear. Bontecou's strong political opinions have been a consistent influence on her art. Memories of the Second World War and the menace of the Cold War fed into her early work, while later pieces reflected her concern for the environment. For her friend, the artist Joseph Cornell, Bontecou's works were 'warnings'. |
Samples of Work
|
|
