Untitled (Man Woman)

Allen Jones

From an early stage, Allen Jones was concerned with creating works in which male and female figures overlapped in curious, surreal, pictorial constructions. These pictures were developed from the artist's interest in the physical relationship and balance of male and female power as explored in the writings of Jung and Nietzsche.

The artist wrote*:
‘This was meant to be a visual parallel to Nietzche's concept of Creativity as spoken by Zarathustra, the idea that creativity consisted of a perfect marriage between the masculine and feminine aspects within us, masculine (action) feminine (creation).’

A large scale example of a similar subject matter, in a work of the same year, can be seen in the Tate Gallery: Allen Jones, Man Woman, oil on canvas, 1963 which was presented to the Tate by the Contemporary Art Society in 1968.

*Published in:
The Tate Gallery: Acquisitions 1968-9, London 1969

Artist
Allen Jones (b.1937)
Title
Untitled (Man Woman)
Medium
Oil and pencil on board
Date
1963
Size
29.8 x 17.8 cm : 11 3/4 x 6 7/8 ins
Inscriptions
Signed and dated lower right 'Allen Jones 63'
Provenance
Private Collection, Spain
Reference
CC13-29
Status
Sold