Jane Hammond (American, b. 1950). "Love Laughs" - color lithograph w/ hand coloring and collage, 2005. Signed, numbered 21/45, and dated in pencil by the artist on a petite hanging sign that is part of the artwork on the lower right. Published by Shark's Ink (Lyons, Colorado). A remarkable collage of color lithographs on bark paper with hand coloring in colored pencil and gouache on a 'lace' lithograph in gray on white wove paper, "Love Laughs" presents 18 distinct scenes - a surrealistic array of rooms with bizarre inclusions of figures and animals - within a dollhouse-like edifice. The arrangement is eclectic, with figures and objects unusually placed in Hammond's bizarrely delineated spaces. Realistic representation is clearly not Hammond's goal, as she playfully interprets scale and imagery to distort our comprehension of the space. In addition, Hammond employs vibrant colors to amplify the fantastical quality of her imagery. Clever statements accompany each scene and inject humor and layers of meaning. Contributing further to the exceptional quality of this piece is the workmanship as well as the framing. The ensemble of scenes was meticulously and skillfully hand-colored, hand-cut, and collaged over a printed "lace" background. The framing is remarkable in that there are no mitered corners; instead, the frame is one contiguous piece! Size: 51.25" L x 33.75" W (130.2 cm x 85.7 cm) Frame: 59.75" L x 42.625" W (151.8 cm x 108.3 cm)

The spaces are framed by columns or pipes that appear to simultaneously separate yet bridge the scenes. Altogether, this maze-like construction forms a dollhouse-like edifice that allows the viewer to witness the various episodes. Some have interpreted these scenes as references to Hammond's interior world of self-discovery. Among the iconographical images, Hammond presents a pair of monkeys, one holding an apple behind its back, the pair perhaps embracing or wrestling beside a large rose in a Renaissance inspired colonnaded setting and accompanied by the statement, "He who wants fruit should not pick flowers"; a horned severed devil's head scooped up in a spoon that is held by an enormous hand accompanied by the text, "He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon"; a seated figure with a Kabuki actor tattooed on his back, sitting within a glass cube and surrounded by very large bees accompanied by the text, "He who wants to eat honey should endure the stings." Hammond's appetite for the strange is seemingly endless as various jesters and clowns, flora and fauna, pieces of food and unexpected objects, ethnographic artworks, and whimsical entities abound. Finally, the title of the piece is referenced on a heart-shaped pendant that reads "Love Laughs at locksmiths" and dangles from a lock attempting to be opened by a woman who is seemingly suspended in mid-air.

This piece is accompanied by a signed statement from the renowned printer, Bud Shark (also known as Herman R. Shark or Herman Shark - American, b. 1946). The following is an excerpt from Shark's statement that delineates the printing technique employed to create this piece, "A nine color lithograph with hand-coloring on Papel Amate that has been collaged onto a one color lithograph on white Rives BFK. The "Love Laughs" edition has been printed from 9 aluminum plates made from mylars that were created by the artist drawing by hand with pencils, toner and ink washes; and Xerox transfers. The edition was proofed and printed by Master printer Bud Shark, assisted by Evan Colbert, between September 19th and November 30th, 2005. The edition consists of 45 numbered impressions, 7 Artist's proofs, 2 Printer's proofs, 3 Workshop proofs, 1 B.A.T., 4 Patron's impressions, 1 Archive impression and 2 Trial proofs. The prints have been printed on handmade Papel Amate and Rives BFK papers. After printing the Amate sheet has been backed with Thai Mulberry paper and hand-cut by Roseanne Colachis to follow a printed lace pattern. The cut out Amate sheet has then been collaged to the Rives BFK lace sheet. The overall dimensions of the print are 51 1/4" x 33 3/4". / Each print has been hand colored, signed and numbered by the artist in pencil. All plates, mylars, Xeroxes and other impressions have been defaced or destroyed."

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Jane Hammond received her BA from Mount Holyoke College, an MFA from Arizona State University, and another MFA from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work has been collected by many museums including the Albertina in Vienna, Austria; the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts; Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York; Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas; Art Institue of Chicago; Brooklyn Museum of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; the Detroit Institute of the Arts; the deYoung Museum in San Francisco, California; the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum of Modern Art, New York City; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; The Whitney Museum of American Art … and the list goes on! What's more Jane Hammond's "Love Laughs" was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City (accession number 2006.51) and exhibited at "The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 'Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection,' April 13, 2009 - July 12, 2009.' Another was collected by the Art Institute of Chicago (2018.427).

Provenance: private Mooresville, North Carolina, USA collection

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#169950

This artwork has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be excellent. It is signed, numbered 21/45, and dated in pencil by the artist on a petite hanging sign that is part of the artwork on the lower right. The frame is stunning and very special as it has no miters and is instead a single piece. There are a few minor nicks and scuffs to the finish as shown, but otherwise it is in nice condition. This piece is wired for suspension and ready to display.