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Jon Pylypchuk — I'm Sorry to Keep You
Jon Pylypchuk

I'm Sorry to Keep You

1993

Realized in collage and mixed media at a compact 35.6 by 27.9 centimeters, "I'm Sorry to Keep You" dates to 1993, placing it among Jon Pylypchuk's earliest known work and offering a rare window into the raw, emotionally charged visual language he would develop into a celebrated international practice. The piece carries the confessional tenderness that has come to define his sensibility, folding together found materials and drawn or painted elements into something that feels simultaneously handmade, urgent, and disarmingly intimate. Even at this scale, the work commands attention, its title functioning less as description than as a kind of apology spoken directly to the viewer. Pylypchuk, who was born in Winnipeg and later became a central figure in the Los Angeles art scene, built his reputation on figures and objects that seem to ache with longing, humor, and vulnerability. This early collage anticipates all of that, suggesting a young artist already in full possession of his emotional register, working through questions of connection and isolation that would occupy him for decades to come. The hand of the artist is everywhere present here, and the work bears his signature, anchoring it firmly within his documented output. For collectors with an interest in works that carry biographical weight alongside aesthetic conviction, this piece represents an uncommon opportunity. Early works on paper by artists who go on to achieve significant critical recognition rarely surface with this degree of provenance clarity, and the intimate format only deepens the sense that one is holding something genuinely personal in hand.

Medium
Collage, mixed media
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Jon Pylypchuk, I'm Sorry to Keep You, 1993

Realized in collage and mixed media at a compact 35.6 by 27.9 centimeters, "I'm Sorry to Keep You" dates to 1993, placing it among Jon Pylypchuk's earliest known work and offering a rare window into the raw, emotionally charged visual language he would develop into a celebrated international practice. The piece carries the confessional tenderness that has come to define his sensibility, folding together found materials and drawn or painted elements into something that feels simultaneously handmade, urgent, and disarmingly intimate. Even at this scale, the work commands attention, its title functioning less as description than as a kind of apology spoken directly to the viewer. Pylypchuk, who was born in Winnipeg and later became a central figure in the Los Angeles art scene, built his reputation on figures and objects that seem to ache with longing, humor, and vulnerability. This early collage anticipates all of that, suggesting a young artist already in full possession of his emotional register, working through questions of connection and isolation that would occupy him for decades to come. The hand of the artist is everywhere present here, and the work bears his signature, anchoring it firmly within his documented output. For collectors with an interest in works that carry biographical weight alongside aesthetic conviction, this piece represents an uncommon opportunity. Early works on paper by artists who go on to achieve significant critical recognition rarely surface with this degree of provenance clarity, and the intimate format only deepens the sense that one is holding something genuinely personal in hand.

Medium
Collage, mixed media
Dimensions
overall: 35.6 x 27.9 cm
Year
1993
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Artadia Benefit Auction

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Mohn Art Collective

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