The Acquisition 2011

Oil on canvas
91.5 x 122 cm

Two pairs of arms project in towards the centre of the painting. Their white gloved hands gingerly and with reverence hold up the new acquisition. This much valued master work with its elaborate frame is found to contain nothing other than what appears to be a monochrome or unadorned canvas with a miniscule authorial signature. If one reads the flat off-white surface as intentional, this minimalist conceptual image is housed in a (relatively) inappropriate frame. If unintentional, it is left to the viewer to fill in the content, to provide the masterpiece. The elaborate quality of the frame indicates that it does hold something of value. In this image I have addressed the notions of individuated taste; of what constitutes an art work; or indeed perhaps whether what we value is of any worth, and of course the acquisition of art by museums and galleries.

The frame painted in this image is derived from my Madonna of the Rocks which is itself a parody of other famous and much treasured Madonna and child paintings.

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