
Apparat, mit dem eine Kartoffel eine andere Kartoffel umkreisen kann (Apparatus Whereby One Potato Can Orbit Another)
In this characteristically irreverent work, Sigmar Polke presents a humble potato mounted on a simple mechanical apparatus, embodying his playful subversion of artistic conventions and consumer culture. Created in 1969, the piece humorously mimics the language of scientific instruments and space-age technology — a nod to the era's obsession with orbital mechanics — while elevating an utterly mundane object to the status of serious artistic inquiry. The work exemplifies Polke's signature wit and his engagement with Capitalist Realism, transforming the ordinary into the absurd with deadpan precision.
- Medium
- signed in black ink on the top, below this, traces of a second signature, a partial date '*969' and the edition number 3/30, from the early part of the edition of 30, registered as number 12/00927 with the artist's estate, with the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity, published by Edition Tangente, Heidelberg (later Edition Staeck) (with their blindstamp on the underside of the seat).
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
Evening & Day Editions
January 22, 2015
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