Odd Nerdrum (Norwegian, b. 1944) , "Self-Portrait", 1983, charcoal on paper, signed mid-left, "Martina Hamilton Gallery, New York, NY" label with artist, title and date, "New Orleans Museum of Art" label and exhibition label with artist, title and date and 2 "Forum Gallery, New York, NY" labels one with artist, title and date the other with exhibition information on backing board, handwritten label with artist and title attached to hanging wire, sight 28 in. x 23 1/2 in., framed. Exh.: "Odd Nerdrum: The Drawings", New Orleans Museum of Art, July 30 - Oct 30, 1994 and listed in accompanying catalogue; "Perception of Self", Forum Gallery, New York, NY, Oct. 4 - Nov. 12, 2012. Note: Neal Auction would like to thank Laura Povinelli, Collections Manager and Rights & Reproductions Coordinator, New Orleans Museum of Art for her assistance in the cataloguing of this lot. Note:“Nerdrum’s pictures rehumanize the dehumanized avant-garde figure and argue for the psychological and moral significance of painting.” ~Donald KuspitIn 1998, Odd Nerdrum announced that he was now following his newly minted “Kitsch” philosophy of art. Critics were understandably perplexed as scholar Jordan Walker pointed out, his work "does not necessarily fit the common conception of Kitsch – the world of snow globes and collective figurines and saccharine paintings for decorative purposes.” Nerdrum’s version came from a much older source: Aristotle’s discussion of the intellectual virtues of Episteme (knowledge) and Techne (craft), the theoretical and the practical thought processes and how we apply them to daily life from Nicomachean Ethics. Specifically, Nerdrum views modern art as having too heavy an emphasis on concept and not enough on craftmanship. His proposed solution was to return to the traditional methods practiced by great masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt, which he referred to as “High Kitsch” or “…craft over concept, emotional experience over intellectualism and sincerity over irony.” The work on offer here was created fifteen years prior to Nerdrum’s announcement, but the foundations of his Kitsch philosophy are patently visible. “Self Portrait” pays debt to Rembrandt and his process, with the artist presenting himself in similar garb and ensconced in feature-defining shadows, while emphasizing the importance of draftsmanship and using the simple materials of charcoal and paper. In the 1980s, such a piece would serve as an interesting delineation from the popular style of art being produced at the time. One can see why he was referred to as a “Modern Classicist,” not only for his imitation of the techniques of the masters but for his uncanny ability to create a mood equal to, if not surpassing, the greats themselves. Ref.: Walker, Jordan. “The Kitsch Masterpiece: Odd Nerdrum and the Problem of the New Old Master.” Scholar Works at Georgia State University. May 14, 2021. www.scholarworks.gsu.edu. Accessed Oct. 25, 2022; Kuspit, Donald. “Odd Nerdrum.” Art Forum. Dec. 1997. www.artforum.com. Accessed Oct. 25, 2022.

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