After embracing Pop Art, Swiss painter Peter Stämpfli (born 1937) took a methodical and radical approach, exploring the world of everyday objects and iconic advertising for luxury goods and cars. He later focused on tyres and their patterns. The work La Bouche (a later version is called Rouge Baiser, meaning ‘The Mouth’ and ‘Red Kiss’) from 1971, which we have, showcases a different facet of Peter Stämpfli’s extensive oeuvre. It is a silkscreen print created for the third instalment of the La Lune en Rondage edition, of which 215 were available in 1977 (150 for sale, 65 hors commerce). This luxuriously bound folder was produced by gallerist Carl Laszlo’s Editions Panderma in Switzerland and included graphic works by 54 renowned artists, including Timm Ulrichs, Morandini, Arntz, Neusüss, Christian Schad, Alviani, Milet, Cacciola, Otto Nebel, Stämpfli, Kesting, Tornquist, Kovács, Gallina and Valeska Gert.
Apart from his works dealing with tyres, La Bouche is one of Stämpfli’s most iconic and recognisable motifs. It frequently features in exhibitions and publications on European Pop Art.
“In 1961–1962, I was struck by certain American and British artists who were introducing objects into painting in a completely different way to anything that had existed before, particularly referencing photography, advertising and posters. In my opinion, they opened up a path that I had also been unconsciously seeking for a very long time,” Peter Stämpfli explains about his relationship with Pop Art and Common Object Painting.
The original screen print is hand signed on a sticker on the back of the print. The print is about 9.25 x 3.74 inches; the frame is about 16.93 x 16.93 inches. Dimensions in cm: print 23.5 x 9.5, frame 43 x 43.
