Jim Dine

Private collection, Japan
Sale: The Market Auction Inc. Japan, 25 October 2007, lot 113
Private collection, Hong Kong

A lexicon of images have recurred throughout Jim Dine’s oeuvre and, among them, the heart is the most eloquent and ubiquitous. Through continuous repetition, the motif’s semiotic resonance surrenders to the contemplation of the expressionistic handling of the pigments, an exercise in formal appreciation that exposes Dine’s roots in the Abstract Expressionist movement. And yet, the motif is so compelling and recognisable as a universal symbol of love. Thus, balanced between the High Art of Abstract Expressionism and the banal symbols of mass culture, Dine’s hearts are a classic example of Pop Art.