Allen Jones (British, b. 1937) - Scene Seen

Signed and dated ‘Allen Jones 77’ verso, oil on canvas.
72 x 72 in. (182.9 x 182.9cm)

Provenance

Collection of Jordan and Cynthia Katz, Pennsylvania.
The Estate of Jordan and Cynthia Katz, Pennsylvania.

Lot Essay

Allen Jones is a British pop artist known for his controversial and provocative works that often explore themes of sexuality and gender roles. Born in 1937, Jones emerged as part of the British Pop Art movement in the 1960s alongside artists like David Hockney and Peter Blake. He gained significant attention for his series of life-sized fiberglass sculptures depicting women as furniture, such as chairs and tables, which sparked debates about objectification and misogyny in art. 

In a post for Twin Factory from November 2014, Catrin Davies wrote about Jones’s show at the Royal Academy in London, addressing his paintings in relation to his notorious sculptures:  

“Jones’ paintings provide a little counter balance to the implied misogyny of his sculptures. In these colourfully kitsch scenes he paints about power-play with cross-dressing inferences, of the dominate female, the submissive male, of the animalistic rituals of mating and the delicate interplay of coupling represented in the form of dance.” 

Works such as Scene Seen and the Untitled painted steel sculpture encapsulate this vibrant and more playful side of Jones’s oeuvre.