Provenance
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Exhibited
New York, Gagosian Gallery, Retrospective, June 20 - August 22, 2008
Literature
D. Kunitz, “Retrospective': Been There, Sold That” The Sun, New York, July 3, 2008
Catalogue Essay
Tom Friedman’s exemplary force as artist derives from his unique ability to transform the banal into intricate and meaningful art forms. Consistently challenging widely held conceptions of what constitutes ‘art’, Friedman employs a comedic and lighthearted approach to creating a signicant body of work that is both parts superficially entertaining and deeply self-reflective.

In the present lot, Inside Out, (1991-2006), Friedman repurposes a cornucopia of colorful and unusual everyday objects, amalgamating them into an amorphous body sprawled across the gallery floor, unfurled and undone for the world to witness. The use of the legs and arms extending into broad hands enforces corporeal structure upon this work and imbues what at first blush appears to be the chaotic spillage of a cardboard box’s contents with deeper meaning. That it is physically impossible for the tipped box to harbor its supposed contents on account of its inferior size is intentionally obvious. This dichotomy between exterior shell vis-à-vis the innards it houses is further emphasized by the smooth surface and even, monotonous, color of cardboard skin in stark contrast to the naked exposure of its hallucinogenic contents – an unabashed and spontaneous explosion of color, texture, and form. This disjunctive relationship both highlights and betrays the fundamental relationship between body and mind. Try as we may to compartmentalize our lives, aesthetically and superficially presenting ourselves as a creature of composure, our raw nature, and more ephemerally, our inner selves and souls are far too complex and unwieldy a beast to be so easily organized and self-contained.

Friedman, as the artist savant existing on the fringes of societal norms and as an outsider looking in, is ideally situated in bringing this to light. To this end, he employs a plethora of familiar found items, unassuming and inviting with childlike qualities. Veins of crumpled lollipop wrappers and toy trinkets, with ligaments of warmly glowing holiday lights fuse into an absurdly masterful cohesive whole. Inside Out, (1991-2006), reveals itself as buoyant accumulation of the ephemeral and whimsical.
Artist Biography
Tom Friedman
American • 1965
Tom Friedman is a multimedia artist working mainly in sculpture and works-on-paper. Interested in looking at the thin line between fantasy and autobiography, Friedman often creates works that push viewers into a complicit state of witnessing. His sculptures are composed of a multitude of objects, and he assembles them in such a way as to transform the mundane into an intricate work of art. He combines materials such as Styrofoam, foil, paper, clay, wire, hair and fuzz through a labor-intensive practice that seeks to tell a story, whether about himself or the world at large.
Friedman's approach to autobiography is not memoiristic. Rather, he takes the smallest moments of his life, like a piece of paper found on the street, and blows it out of proportion.
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PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN COLLECTION

30

Tom Friedman

Inside Out

1991-2006
cardboard box, christmas lights, styrofoam and various media from the artist's studio
26 1/4 x 186 x 55 in. (66.7 x 472.4 x 139.7 cm)

Estimate
$100,000 - 150,000

Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale

7 March 2013
New York

1
Ryan Sullivan
June 18, 2009 - January 20, 2010
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $60,000
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2
Dan Colen
Oy Vey 3
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $164,500
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3
Glenn Ligon
Silver Just Us #5
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $242,500
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4
Johnny Swing
“Half Dollar / Butterfly” chair
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $67,300
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5
Kelley Walker
Untitled
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $110,500
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6
This lot is no longer available.
7
Rob Pruitt
I Love Bamboo (I hate you)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $98,500
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8
Wendell Castle
Black Edition “Big Table,” from the “Molar” series
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $74,500
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9
Mark Grotjahn
Butterfly (Black, Red, Orange)
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $254,500
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10
Ettore Sottsass, Jr.
“Menta” totem
Estimate $20,000 - 25,000
Sold for $25,000
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11
Damien Hirst
Levorphanol
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $218,500
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12
Cecily Brown
S.A.P.
Estimate $800,000 - 1,200,000
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13
Albert Oehlen
Traurigkeit
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
Sold for $362,500
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14
Andy Warhol
Knives
Estimate $2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Sold for $2,008,900
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15
Ed Ruscha
Anchor Stuck in Sand
Estimate $600,000 - 800,000
Sold for $550,000
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16
Sigmar Polke
Untitled
Estimate $400,000 - 600,000
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17
Gerhard Richter
Fuji (839-12)
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $215,000
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18
Martin Kippenberger
Leiden Warum, Leiden Wozu (Suffer Why, Suffer What For)
Estimate $350,000 - 450,000
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19
Jacob Kassay
Untitled
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $188,500
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20
Ron Arad
“Oh-Void 2” chair
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $122,500
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21
Richard Prince
Untitled (Massage)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $146,500
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22
George Condo
The Monk at the Brothel
Estimate $200,000 - 300,000
Sold for $266,500
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23
Maurizio Cattelan
A Perfect Day
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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24
Gilbert & George
Wheel
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
Sold for $104,500
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25
Louise Lawler
Going
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
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26
Jim Hodges
The Good News, Ta Nea, 3/20/2007 (Athens Greece) 3/20/2007
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $30,000
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27
Ken Price
Oh Gee
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
Sold for $314,500
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28
Sylvie Fleury
Eternal Wow on Shelf (cyan/purple)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $80,500
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29
This lot is no longer available.
30
Tom Friedman
Inside Out
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
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31
Anselm Reyle
Untitled
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $98,500
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32
T.V. Santhosh
Enemies' Enemy II
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
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33
Eric Fischl
The Cattle Auction (A Study)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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34
Thomas Houseago
Untitled (Coin Mask I)
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $74,500
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35
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (3 Text Pieces)
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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36
Richard Prince
Eden Rock (oil rig and cowboy)
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $200,500
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37
Francesco Clemente
Zip
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $68,500
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38
Karel Appel
Personage
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
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39
Ahmed Alsoudani
You No Longer Have Hands
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
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40
Elliott Hundley
Garland
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $104,500
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41
Os Gêmeos
Landscape
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
Sold for $134,500
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42
Studio Job
“Perished” table
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $68,500
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Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale

7 March 2013 New York

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Provenance

Exhibited

Literature

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Tom Friedman

30

Tom Friedman

Inside Out

Contemporary Art & Design Evening Sale

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7 March 2013
New York