Rebecca Horn (née en 1944) The blue bath,... Lot 9

Rebecca Horn (née en 1944) The blue bath, circa 1981 Iron, glass, water, paint and polystyrene 155 x 120 x 30 cm  Provenance: - Galerie de France, Paris - Purchased from the latter by the current owner - Private collection, Paris Bibliography: - E.Lavigne, "Rebecca Horn: Théâtre des métamorphoses", Ed. Centre Pompidou Metz, 2019, color illustration p.133 - C.Haenlein, "Rebecca Horn: The Glance of Infinity", Ed. Scalo, Zurich, 1997, color illustration p.99, similar work Note: We had prepared a bath for our bird in this room ; this bath was tinted with a white powder in such a way that it resembled milk. At first it was cold, and the bird we plunged in seemed content, drank, and fluttered. But when the heat of the lamps began heating the bath, we had great difficulties keeping the bird in it. We set a lid on the pot and let its head stick out of a hole. The bird lost all its feathers in the bath, until its skin was as smoth as a man's ; but the heat did not harm it in any other way. Surprisingly, the feathers dissolved entirely in the bath and were tinted blue. Finally, we let the bird out ; it was wonderfully smooth and shiny, but it was timid and we had to give it a collar and chain ; then we walked it around the room. During this time we lit a great fire beneath the pot and the bath was completely evaporated, leaving only blue residue ; we had to remove the residue, crus hit, pulverise it and prepare it on a stone ; then this paint was layered on the bird's skin. Then, its aspect became even more remarkable ; indeed, besides the head which had remained white, it was entirely blue.