Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

In late 2014, the Haas Brothers (Nikolai and Simon Haas) staged their first solo show: a whimsical, immersive exhibition, entitled Cool World (4 November 2014 - 10 January 2015), with a plethora of their surreal creations for R & Company in New York City. Converting the sleek Tribeca gallery into an art-and-design funhouse, the Los Angeles-based twin brothers adorned the walls with pastel-colored ceramic vessels from their Accretion series, resembling a fusion of sea urchins, tree fungi, and sexual organs. These playful works exude latent energy and evoke a sense of impish tension. Alongside these vessels, the twins presented a collection of unique, anthropomorphic beasts, including Christofur Walken, Meryl Sheep, Fur Elton John, Halle Hairy, Michelle Pfeif-fur, and Hairy J. Blige, blurring the boundaries between sculpture and functional objects. Arranged in a dinner party setting, these creatures elicited an emotional response, transcending their utilitarian purpose.

"I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own." — Christopher Walken

The present lot is the Christofur Walken Beast settee made from white Icelandic sheepskin, bronze, and carved ebony. Although this example is quite similar to the Meryl Sheep settee, they each have slightly different horns and hooves. The Christofur Walken Beast settee is one of the larger forms that the Haas Brothers created for the Cool World exhibition, perhaps in recognition of Walken's extensive list of acting credits and his outsized public persona. The famed actor once said, "I don't need to be made to look evil. I can do that on my own." Yet the Haas Brothers no doubt transformed Walken into a fierce and furry beast unlike any he has ever played on screen with their wildly imagined settee.