a mannequin dressed in a tan suit and black shoes
Jeschke Jádi Auctions Berlin

421 - Pop Art Rosenquist, James Paper Suit. 1998. Paper suit made …
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Estimate €1,000 - €1,200
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Description
Pop Art Rosenquist, James Paper Suit. 1998. Paper suit made from DuPont Tyvek. Height approx. 180.0 cm x 85 x 0.5 cm. Signed on the inside right of the jacket: James Rosenquist (silver fibre-tip pen), numbered on the label (ballpoint pen). Colour-illustrated original cardboard box (43 x 30 x 6.5 cm). (Edition No. 2). Rare variant No. 2. – One of 100 copies. – Multiple produced as a limited edition to mark the exhibition ‘The Swimmer in the Economist’ at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, March 1998. Produced by Hugo Boss AG. Deutsche Guggenheim Edition No. 2. James Rosenquist’s ‘Paper Suit’ is a three-dimensional object multiple at the intersection of Pop Art, Conceptual Art and fashion design. Made from DuPont Tyvek – a synthetic non-woven fabric that imitates paper but is more durable – the work embodies the central discourse of Pop Art: the aesthetic elevation of the consumer object and its simultaneous destruction through the principle of transience. The classic men’s double-breasted suit, the epitome of bourgeois representation, is transformed into a paradox by the use of this disposable material – distinction through obsolescence. The edition was created to mark the exhibition *The Swimmer in the Economist* at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin and was produced by Hugo Boss in a run of 100 numbered copies, each signed by the artist. The involvement of a fashion giant is no coincidence, but a constitutive part of the conceptual statement: Rosenquist instrumentalises the fashion industry as both an accomplice and a critical object. Packaged in a standardised cardboard box, the work draws on the tradition of the readymade and transposes it into the logic of the limited-edition art market. ‘Paper Suit’ can thus be read as a materialised critique of the intersections between consumerism, fashion and the art market – and refers to Rosenquist’s entire body of work, which, since the early 1960s, has questioned the world of commodities as modernity’s dominant reservoir of images. Paper suit made of DuPont Tyvek. Height approx. 180.0 cm × 85 × 0.5 cm. Signed on the inside right-hand side of the jacket: James Rosenquist (silver felt-tip pen), numbered on the label (ballpoint pen). Colourfully illustrated original cardboard box (43 × 30 × 6.5 cm). (Edition No. 2). Rare variant No. 2. – One of 100 copies. – Multiple produced as a limited edition to mark the exhibition *The Swimmer in the Economist* at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, March 1998. Produced by Hugo Boss AG. Deutsche Guggenheim Edition No. 2. James Rosenquist’s *Paper Suit* is a three-dimensional object multiple at the intersection of Pop Art, Conceptual Art and fashion design. Fabricated from DuPont Tyvek – a synthetic non-woven fabric that mimics paper yet is considerably more durable – the work embodies the central discourse of Pop Art: the aesthetic elevation of the consumer object and its simultaneous destruction through the principle of disposability. The classic double-breasted suit, the quintessential emblem of bourgeois representation, is transformed by this disposable material into a paradox – distinction through obsolescence. The edition was created to mark the exhibition *The Swimmer in the Economist* at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin and produced in a run of 100 numbered, artist-signed copies by Hugo Boss. The involvement of a fashion giant is no coincidence, but rather a constitutive element of the conceptual statement: Rosenquist instrumentalises the fashion industry as both an accomplice and a subject of critique. Packaged in a standardised cardboard box, the work invokes the tradition of the readymade and translates it into the logic of the limited-edition art market. ‘Paper Suit’ can thus be interpreted as a materialised critique of the overlapping spheres of consumption, fashion and the art market – and points to Rosenquist’s broader body of work, which, since the early 1960s, has examined the world of commodities as the dominant pictorial reservoir of modernity. *This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is charged on the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) is charged on the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Modern and Contemporary Art
Auction location
Auction time 07/11/2026 at 11:00 AM
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