Vallot Auctioneers Presents Rare ACT UP Screenprints by David Wojnarowicz

A rare pair of ACT UP screenprints on paper by American artist and activist David Wojnarowicz will be available in Vallot Auctioneers’ upcoming Exceptional Art + Design + Craft + Objects sale. Printed in 1990, the works date from a scarce edition of 100. Wojnarowicz worked closely with artists such as Nan Goldin, Tom Rubnitz, Rosa von Praunheim, and Peter Hujar. After the death of Hujar, Wojnarowicz’s longtime partner and mentor, the artist turned to stronger and more urgent activism to address the AIDS crisis. In the available works, aqua-colored text appears behind a map of the United States with a target. The text expresses the artist’s anger around political indifference to the AIDS crisis, noting that one Texas healthcare official said, “If I had a dollar to spend for healthcare, I’d rather spend it on a baby or an innocent person with some defect or illness not of their own responsibility; not some persons with AIDS…”

The upcoming auction also presents several works by Sam Gilliam. Associated with the Color Field movement, Gilliam was known for his free-standing canvases that broke the boundary between paintings and installations. Notable in this auction is a 1981 cut and stitched monoprint piece that is signed and annotated by the artist in colored pencil. Collectors can also consider works by James Rosenquist, Tage Frid, and Dorothy Daley Bartholomew. Visit Bidsquare to register to bid in the Exceptional Art + Design + Craft + Objects sale and browse other online auctions.