JAKE AND DINOS CHAPMAN (UK, 1962/1966). "Doggy,... Lot 1

JAKE AND DINOS CHAPMAN (UK, 1962/1966). "Doggy, 1997. Fibreglass, painted resin, wigs and slippers. Work exhibited in: New York, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, P.S.1 Reopening, 1997-1998 and New York, The Flag Art Foundation, Disturbing Innocence curated by Eric Fischl, 2014-2015. Provenance: Victoria Miro, London and private collection, Madrid. Size: 81 x 70 x 61 cm. Combining horror with humour and clearly enjoying meticulous and obsessive detail, the Chapmans play with strange, incongruous and often sexualised forms in this work, traits that can be seen in their artistic output as a constant. Belonging to the Ybas, the idea of aesthetic shock as the central axis of the work, defined as such by the collector Charles Saatchi, floods the production of these brothers as can be seen in this sculpture or in similar pieces such as Kylie de (1997) or Platinum GoGo Fuckface (1997), in which the same sculptural concept can be appreciated in which hyperrealist figures merge together, dressed only in a pair of Nike. The "child-monster" works, for which both brothers have become famous, have forms reminiscent of mythical creatures and fairground Siamese twins. These pieces succeed in their intention to shock, but leave a much more lasting impression. As Robert Rosenblum describes in one of his reviews: "Chapman's gaze cuts deep into our own artistic world of disturbingly virtual humanities....". Brothers Jake Chapman and Dinos Chapman are English conceptual artists; known as the Chapman Brothers. They became known as part of the Young British Artists movement, promoted by the publicist and art dealer Charles Saatchi. This was when they participated in "Brilliant!", one of the YBA exhibitions at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and in "Sensation", a group show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. They are celebrated for their controversial work and critical temperament. They grew up in a family with an artistic sensibility. Their father was an art teacher and the siblings soon decided to pursue higher education in the fine arts. Before establishing themselves as a collective, they worked for a time as assistants to the artists Gilbert & George, until in 1990 they began to collaborate and produce work together. In the early 2000s, Jake and Dinos inaugurated "The Chapman Family Collection" at the White Cube Gallery in London. Free appropriationism, references to Western sculptors, neo-pop, as well as a critical touch to consumer society define their creations.