Edward Burtynsky (Canadian, b. 1955) Oxford Tire Pile #5, Westley, California

Description:

Edward Burtynsky (Canadian, b. 1955)

Oxford Tire Pile #5, Westley, California, 1999, printed 2002. Signed "Edward Burtynsky" in black ink on a label affixed to the backing, numbered "3/5" on a label from Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, affixed to the backing. Chromogenic print on Fuji Crystal Archive paper mounted to board, image/sheet size 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127.0 cm),unmatted, framed.
Condition: Unobtrusive white spotting marks in the area of the sky, not examined out of frame.

Provenance: Collection of Bernard Toale and Joseph Zina, Boston, Massachusetts.

N.B. At the time Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky made this image in 1998, the Oxford tire pile in Westley, California, about 80 miles east of San Francisco, was believed to be the nation's largest, containing an estimated 7 million discarded tires rising to six stories high. Shortly after Burtynsky photographed the site, lightning started a fire in the pile that burned for 30 days, releasing heavy black smoke into the air and hot pyrolytic oils into the ground and retaining ponds. Burtynsky has brought attention to industrial blight worldwide in projects on topics such as oil, quarries, and mines, observing that we "come from nature.…There is an importance to [having] a certain reverence for what nature is because we are connected to it... If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves" (http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/).
Estimate $7,000-9,000

Frame measures 52 1/4 x 62 inches. Due to scale, the work cannot be examined out of frame without risking damage. However, the sheet is mounted, and the edges are visible. No additional issues to report.


The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Condition requests can be obtained via email (lot inquiry button) or by telephone to the appropriate gallery location (Boston/617.350.5400 or Marlborough/508.970.3000). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner Inc. shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.

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