11th Dec, 2024 18:00

Urban & Contemporary Art

Lot 219

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Richard Hambleton (Canadian 1952-2017), 'Blood Flowers', 2003

Estimated at £2,500 - £3,500

Condition Report

In overall good condition/artist's condition
One small crease along the top left corner, visible upon close inspection
Handling creases can be seen across the sheet, in raking light
Waving can be seen to the sheet, due to age of the work and materials used
Deckled edge along the right hand side of the sheet
One minor split in the paper along the left hand edge of the sheet
Framed in a wooden frame, float mounted leaving all edges and corners of the sheet visible
This work has not been examined outside of the frame.

Richard Hambleton (Canadian 1952-2017), 'Blood Flowers', 2003, mixed media with blood on paper, signed and dated in pencil; 70 x 33cm inc frame

Auction: Urban & Contemporary Art, 11th Dec, 2024

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Richard Hambleton

Richard Hambleton, frequently acknowledged as the "godfather of street art," was a pivotal figure in the emergence of New York's downtown art movement, alongside contemporaries Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. He gained prominence for his ominous "Shadowmen" and "Horse and Rider" motifs—gruesome black silhouettes that seem to have been created in a moment of explosive action. Initially tagging across the United States and Canada, he established his base in New York in 1979. Throughout the 1980s, he left his mark on the alleyways of Lower Manhattan before transitioning from street art to studio work, producing pieces on canvas and paper. Although he exhibited at the Venice Biennale during the 1980s, he fell into relative obscurity in the 1990s and early 2000s due to personal struggles with health and addiction that distanced him from the art community. Today, Hambleton's artwork is included in prestigious collections such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. His pieces consistently fetch six-figure sums at auction.