Joby Baker (Canadian/American, b. 1934)
Stripes Crucified
Dated, inscribed, and signed "1991/Southfield/Ma./#3/Baker" on the reverse, titled on labels from Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, New York, and Lauren Clark Fine Art, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, affixed to the reverse.
Oil on board, 20 x 15 3/4 in. (51.0 x 40.0 cm), framed.
Condition: Abrasions and small losses to edges, surface grime.
Provenance: Collection of Dory Previn, Massachusetts.
N.B. An actor and artist, Joby Baker first appeared on television in the 1950s and went on to join the casts of many films and TV shows such as Girl Happy with Elvis Presley, the Gidget movie series, and Good Morning, World. By the early 1960s, Baker was dividing his time between acting and painting. He exhibited artworks in Los Angeles and San Francisco and associated with artists of the Bay Area figurative movement including his close friend Nathan Oliveira (see Lot 330). Baker married Dory Previn in 1986 and the two moved to the East coast, where Baker had his first solo show in New York in 1987 and continues to work and exhibit his paintings, sculpture, and jewelry in western Massachusetts. The isolated figure of a man, seemingly in agony or distress, recurs throughout Baker's work with its features obscured under dense layers of paint, as appears the figure in this painting.
Estimate $1,500-2,000
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.