‘‘I felt a visceral connection to the glowing light and sublime, intense colour emanating from these spontaneous images.’’
—Amanda MeansAmanda Means (American, b.1945) has focused on light throughout her oeuvre, beginning in the 1960s, experimenting with camera-less techniques and negative exposures. In her ongoing colour Light Bulb series, these modest household items are ‘transformed from their mass-produced origins to photographic objects of limitless potential and lavish beauty.’ Created using a rare 20x24 Polaroid camera – one of only five built by Polaroid in the late 1970s – the work offered here is a mesmerising, full-frame portrait of a light bulb with its filament glowing a warm yellow against a rich, cerulean background. ‘I loved making exposures with the mammoth camera,’ explains Means, ‘peeling back the negative of each large print to instantly reveal these sensual, energy-filled, glimmering globes.’ The New York-based artist has exhibited internationally and her work resides in numerous public institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, SFMOMA and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Means was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017 for her ongoing contributions to the medium of photography.
Amanda Means positioning the light bulb between a cold light source and the 20x24 Polaroid camera. Courtesy of the artist. Provenance
JHB Gallery, New York, 2016
ULTIMATE
16
Light Bulb (008BYs)
2007
Unique colour Polaroid print, mounted.
Sheet: 82.9 x 55.6 cm (32 5/8 x 21 7/8 in.)
Frame: 99.6 x 78.7 cm (39 1/4 x 30 7/8 in.)
Signed, titled ‘Light Bulb No. 20’, dated and numbered 1/1 in ink on an artist label affixed to the reverse of the mount.
This work is unique.
Estimate
£10,000 - 15,000 ‡
Sold for £38,100
Rachel Peart
Head of Department, London
RPeart@phillips.com
Yuka Yamaji
Head of Photographs, Europe
YYamaji@phillips.com
General Enquiries
+44 20 7318 4092
Photographs
London Auction 19 May 2023
21
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69
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