147

'' '', Five gelatin silver print tableau-vivant photographs: ''His and Her Dream'', signed, titled, dated and inscribed in pencil verso: Aug 1993 / Artist's Proof / Steven F. Arnold, initialed and numbered in pencil upper left verso: SA 32; ''Intercourse of Dreams'', signed, titled, dated and inscribed in pencil verso: A Proof / August 1993 / Steven F. Arnold, initialed and numbered in pencil upper left verso: SA 53; ''Dreaming'', signed, titled, dated and inscribed in pencil verso: A Proof / August 1993 / Steven F. Arnold, initialed and numbered in pencil upper left verso: SA 40; Reaching angel, signed, dated and inscribed in pencil verso: Artist Proof / Aug 1993 / Steven F. Arnold, initialed and numbered in pencil upper left: SA 37; Angel holding painter's palette and brushes, signed, dated, numbered and initialed in pencil verso: 3/12 / SA 1991 / Steven F. Arnold, each: image size: 14'' H x 14'' W, each: paper size: 20'' H x 16'' W, five pieces, est: $300/500. Note: Visionary photographer, filmmaker, painter, illustrator, set and costume designer and assemblage artist Steven F. Arnold was a prot?g? of and heavily influenced by Salvador Dali. Arnold is celebrated for his avant-garde films from the 1960s and 1970s as well as for his complex tableaux vivant photographic creations, produced out of his Los Angeles studio, Zanzibar, in the 1980s and 1990s. Arnold grew up in Oakland, California and from a young age was interested in the idea of fantastical transformation. Encouraged by his parents, he dressed in elaborate costumes and created sets and puppets for shows he produced for neighborhood children. While attending Oakland Technical High School, Arnold met his lifelong muse and collaborator, Pandora (the subject of a photograph in this auction?s collection), and his mentor, art teacher Violet Chew. Chew taught her students to work from the inside out, to use art as a means of solving internal problems, and to explore issues and solutions from a soul level, methods gleaned from ancient Chinese practices. She was an enormous influence on Arnold?s lifelong exploration of Eastern spirituality and imagery and also introduced the artist to antique and junk shopping, cutting-edge fashion and art history (S. Farago, ??Heavenly Bodies??, unpublished, The Steven Arnold Archive, 2011). After high school, Arnold went on to the San Francisco Art Institute, where he focused on filmmaking. His student film, ??Messages, Messages??, was the first to receive critical attention and led to Arnold hosting a nationally known weekly midnight movie showcase in San Francisco, ??Arnold?s Nocturnal Dreamshows??. In 1969, he began filming his most significant film, ??Luminous Procuress??, which caught the attention of Andy Warhol and, significantly, Salvador Dali. Arnold became an insider in Dali?s group of counter-cultural figures he surrounded himself with and dubbed Arnold the ??Prince?? of his ??Court of Miracles??. By the early 1980s, Arnold turned to still photography as a new mode of expression and opened his Los Angeles studio, Zanzibar, where he designed and shot thousands of tableaux vivant images. ??Deeply influenced by Jungian archetypes, Eastern philosophy, and ancient ritual, Arnold understood visual production as a key to the spiritual and subconscious, depicting alternative worlds with dramatic style and sly humor across numerous mediums. Arnold spoke about his practice of drawing as a means of making visible his dreams and compared his photography to religious meditation?? (http://one.usc.edu/steven-arnold-cabinet-of-curiosities, 23 August 2016). John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. is pleased to present the most significant group of gelatin silver print photographs by Steven F. Arnold to yet come to the auction market. This collection encompasses the artist?s most important photographic themes, many of Arnold?s most celebrated tableaux vivant assemblage images and artistic examinations of the male form.


  • Notes: Visionary photographer, filmmaker, painter, illustrator, set and costume designer and assemblage artist Steven F. Arnold was a prot?g? of and heavily influenced by Salvador Dali. Arnold is celebrated for his avant-garde films from the 1960s and 1970s as well as for his complex tableaux vivant photographic creations, produced out of his Los Angeles studio, Zanzibar, in the 1980s and 1990s. Arnold grew up in Oakland, California and from a young age was interested in the idea of fantastical transformation. Encouraged by his parents, he dressed in elaborate costumes and created sets and puppets for shows he produced for neighborhood children. While attending Oakland Technical High School, Arnold met his lifelong muse and collaborator, Pandora (the subject of a photograph in this auction?s collection), and his mentor, art teacher Violet Chew. Chew taught her students to work from the inside out, to use art as a means of solving internal problems, and to explore issues and solutions from a soul level, methods gleaned from ancient Chinese practices. She was an enormous influence on Arnold?s lifelong exploration of Eastern spirituality and imagery and also introduced the artist to antique and junk shopping, cutting-edge fashion and art history (S. Farago, ??Heavenly Bodies??, unpublished, The Steven Arnold Archive, 2011). After high school, Arnold went on to the San Francisco Art Institute, where he focused on filmmaking. His student film, ??Messages, Messages??, was the first to receive critical attention and led to Arnold hosting a nationally known weekly midnight movie showcase in San Francisco, ??Arnold?s Nocturnal Dreamshows??. In 1969, he began filming his most significant film, ??Luminous Procuress??, which caught the attention of Andy Warhol and, significantly, Salvador Dali. Arnold became an insider in Dali?s group of counter-cultural figures he surrounded himself with and dubbed Arnold the ??Prince?? of his ??Court of Miracles??. By the early 1980s, Arnold turned to still photography as a new mode of expression and opened his Los Angeles studio, Zanzibar, where he designed and shot thousands of tableaux vivant images. ??Deeply influenced by Jungian archetypes, Eastern philosophy, and ancient ritual, Arnold understood visual production as a key to the spiritual and subconscious, depicting alternative worlds with dramatic style and sly humor across numerous mediums. Arnold spoke about his practice of drawing as a means of making visible his dreams and compared his photography to religious meditation?? (http://one.usc.edu/steven-arnold-cabinet-of-curiosities, 23 August 2016). John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. is pleased to present the most significant group of gelatin silver print photographs by Steven F. Arnold to yet come to the auction market. This collection encompasses the artist?s most important photographic themes, many of Arnold?s most celebrated tableaux vivant assemblage images and artistic examinations of the male form
  • Condition: Visual: Each: Generally good condition. Very minor vertical rippling to the lower portion of the paper. ''His and Her Dream'': A 3'' diagonal shallow scattered surface scratch from the upper left corner into the scene. Tipped into archival mats in the upper left and lower corners.

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September 24, 2016 4:30 PM PDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $25,000
$500,000 + $50,000