Beschreibung:

Richard Hamilton (1922-2011)Adonis in Y fronts (Lullin 52) Screenprint in colours, 1963, on TH Saunders wove paper, signed and dated in pencil, a proof aside from the edition of 40, printed by the artist and Chris Prater at Kelpra Studio, published by the artist, London, trimmed to the image and laid down on board, with time-staining, the upper left corner disturbed, a scratch to the centre left of the image, other minor surface defects, framed Image 608 x 815mm. (23 7/8 x 32 1/8in.); Sheet 610 x 805mm. (24 x 31 3/4in.)FootnotesArt historian Ronald Hunt was working in the National Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1961 when he came across Richard Hamilton's Hommage à Chrysler Corp in a magazine. As he explains himself: "I was much impressed. So got his address and went to see him. That's when I arranged to buy the lithograph of C.C. (Hommage à Chrysler Corp). He actually wanted to add a bit of collage - so came into the Library with it finished, I think he gave me Duchamp's and Diter Rot's address on that first visit - so I wrote to ask if Dieter Roth had any Books for sale - or Green Box from Marcel Duchamp " The connections Ronald Hunt established with these artists, some of the most remarkable names of the 20th century, sits at the core of this small selection of works from his personal collection. Their affection is made evident, whether in the letter Marcel Duchamp addressed him in 1962 alongside a set of the first edition of his Rotoreliefs optical disks (Lot 51), or in Richard Hamilton and Dieter Roth's dedication of their prints to 'Ron' (Lot 46 and Lot 53). Impressions of Lot 46, A little bit of Roy Lichtenstein for ..., were given by Hamilton as presents to his friends, each dedicated with their name added at the end of the title. 1961 is also the year when Hamilton asked Ron if he was "interested in a job as Fine Art Librarian at Newcastle University" – Ron was "so moved up there." This is where Hamilton and Ron organised an exhibition on French avant-garde Francis Picabia who had died in 1953 and whose work was little-known in England at the time. It was held at the Hatton Gallery of the University in 1964, where later on Hamilton exhibited his recreation of Duchamp Large Glass, before it was sent to the Tate in London for their 1966 Duchamp retrospective. The poster Marcel Duchamp (Lot 49) was done to advertise the Hatton Gallery showcase of the work that Hamilton had created in a studio there. As part of the research for the Picabia exhibition, Ron went to Paris where he met Man Ray, another artist of interest to the art historian, whose writing encompasses Dadaism and Surrealism. His passion for these movements is also exemplified here in his Marcel Duchamp impression of A Poster Within a Poster (Lot 50), the wonderfully startling Dimanche: Le Journal d'un Seul Jour newspaper celebrating Yves Klein's famous 'leap into the void' (Lot 52), and Dieter Roth's joyful and absurd Wasserhut (Water Hat) (Lot 53). Ron kept these works on his walls all these years, framed as they were in the 1960s, with his impression of Richard Hamilton Adonis in Y Fronts (Lot 48) – Hamilton's first screenprint – cut down and mounted on board at Hamilton's suggestion; he wanted it to look like a painting, without the margins and rippling. A similarly trimmed and laid-down impression can in fact be found at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, where it was recently exhibited as part of their Hockney to Himid: 60 Years of British Printmaking exhibition this year. This small selection acts as a tribute to Ron's affection for these works and the artists who made them. As he puts it: "it's nice to know the works are appreciated. And hopefully will go on that way."