Auguste Blackman’s ‘3 Minotaurs’ is reminiscent of one of art history’s most iconic banquets. In 1908, Pablo Picasso and poet Guillaume Apollinaire threw a party for post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau, also known as Le Dounier. The gesture was tongue-in-cheek: while they admired his avant-garde aesthetic, Picasso and Apollinaire perceived Rousseau as a kind of child, prone to inventing truths and inflected with a folk sensitivity. Thus, unknownst to Rousseau, the banquet was intended as kind of lavish joke at his expense.

Despite Picasso and Apollinaire's intentions however, it proved the opposite. A truly extravagant event, when the sun rose the following day, the banquet went down in history. Rousseau’s desire - to become a full-time artist - was fulfilled. Just two years before his death, he earned the reputation of a respected artist, attracting followers from the academy and beyond.

When reflecting on ‘3 Minotaurs’, Blackman sees parallels between its protagonists, this tale and his own life. He imagines his '3 Minotaurs' as Rousseau, Picasso and Apollinaire and more personally, himself as Rousseau and his father, Charles Blackman, as Picasso. Like Rousseau, Auguste is a true romantic who was guided towards greatness by another icon of art, his father.

As sumptuous as the banquet it recalls, ‘3 Minotaurs’ was created with the finest museum quality archival materials and is hand-signed by the artist. It is a limited edition of 125 and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from the publisher. For fans of the Blackmans and festivities, collect ‘3 Minotaurs’ before last drinks are called.
 

Auguste BLACKMAN (1957 - )
'3 Minotaurs'
archival pigment print on paper
Edition of 125
Image Size: 71 x 100 cm
Dimensions: 85 x 112 cm
Signed: Editioned, titled and signed below image.
Printed on Elegance Velvet 310 gsm Acid Free Archival Rag Paper
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Excellent

(c) The Artist or Assignee