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Steve Wolfe - Artists - Luhring Augustine
Steve Wolfe - Artists - Luhring Augustine

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Stephen Crane: Stories And Tales), 2010
Oil, ink transfer, die cut, modeling paste, and wood
7 1/4 x 4 15/16 x 3/4 inches
(18.42 x 12.54 x 1.91 cm)

For more than two decades, Steve Wolfe (1955–2016) created sculptures and drawings of astounding craft and visual presence. Wolfe re-created worn books and used records, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s, that influenced his own personal and artistic sensibilities. Working in the tradition of trompe l'oeil, Wolfe created pieces that quite literally "fool the eye" on first inspection. Using a variety of materials and processes, including oil, acrylic, screen printing, lithography, modeling paste, canvas, wood and aluminum, Wolfe sculpted and painted precise and exacting three-dimensional replicas of books and records that possess a personal significance. Iconic titles include Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground, Alfred Barr's Cubism and Abstract Art and The Beatles' Revolver. These tattered books and worn LPs are tangible manifestations of a fertile moment in American intellectual history. Wolfe's faithful reconstructions evoke an unexpected play between humble self-effacement and culture's powerful capacity to have impact on one's existence.

Steve Wolfe's work has been collected by numerous prominent public and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; The Menil Collection, Houston, TX; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA. In 2009 he was the subject of a one-person exhibition which originated at the Whitney Museum of American Art and traveled to the Menil Collection and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In Fall 2024, Luhring Augustine will present Steve Wolfe: The Brutality of Fact. 

Artworks Nested Slideshow

Artworks Nested Slideshow Thumbnails
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Anna Karenina), 1985-87
Oil, enamel, ink transfer, modeling paste, canvas, and wood
7 1/2 x 5 x 2/14 inches
(19.05 x 12.7 x 5.72 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Anna Karenina), 1985-87
Oil, enamel, ink transfer, modeling paste, canvas, and wood
7 1/2 x 5 x 2/14 inches
(19.05 x 12.7 x 5.72 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Manifestos of Surrealism), 1987-88
Oil, modeling paste, linen, and wood
8 1/2 x 5 3/8 x 1 1/8 inches
(21.59 x 13.65 x 2.86 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Manifestos of Surrealism), 1987-88
Oil, modeling paste, linen, and wood
8 1/2 x 5 3/8 x 1 1/8 inches
(21.59 x 13.65 x 2.86 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Farewell, My Lovely), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, and wood
6 3/8 x 4 1/8 x 1/2 inches
(16.19 x 10.16 x 1.27 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Farewell, My Lovely), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, and wood
6 3/8 x 4 1/8 x 1/2 inches
(16.19 x 10.16 x 1.27 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (A Streecar Named Desire), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
9 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(23.5 x 16.5 x 1.9 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (A Streecar Named Desire), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
9 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(23.5 x 16.5 x 1.9 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 x 4 5/8 x 1/2 inches
(17.78 x 11.75 x 1.27 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 x 4 5/8 x 1/2 inches
(17.78 x 11.75 x 1.27 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Candide), 1988-89
Oil, screenprint, ink transfer, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 1/8 x 4 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(18.1 x 11.43 x 1.91 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Candide), 1988-89
Oil, screenprint, ink transfer, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 1/8 x 4 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(18.1 x 11.43 x 1.91 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Do You Believe in Magic?), 1992
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 7 inches
(17.78 x 17.78 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Do You Believe in Magic?), 1992
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 7 inches
(17.78 x 17.78 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (The Beatles), 1992-94
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on two boards
20 1/2 x 34 1/2 inches
(52.07 x 87.63 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (The Beatles), 1992-94
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on two boards
20 1/2 x 34 1/2 inches
(52.07 x 87.63 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Mary Poppins), 1993
Oil, enamel, lithography, and pencil on board
12 x 12 inches
(30.48 x 30.48 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Mary Poppins), 1993
Oil, enamel, lithography, and pencil on board
12 x 12 inches
(30.48 x 30.48 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Evian Cartons), 1993
Cartons: Oil, silkscreen on archival cardboard with wooden armatures
Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, lacquer, aluminum, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
27 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches
(69.85 x 59.69 x 49.53 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Evian Cartons), 1993
Cartons: Oil, silkscreen on archival cardboard with wooden armatures
Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, lacquer, aluminum, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
27 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches
(69.85 x 59.69 x 49.53 cm)

Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Rosy/Veuve Clicquout/Fortress Apple Cartons), 1994-1996

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood

31 1/8 x 24 x 21 inches

(79.06 x 60.96 x 53.34 cm)

Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Rosy/Veuve Clicquout/Fortress Apple Cartons), 1994-1996

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood

31 1/8 x 24 x 21 inches

(79.06 x 60.96 x 53.34 cm)

Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Vanguard/Cook's/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2001-2003

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, modeling paste, canvasboard, paper, and wood

23 1/4 x 35 1/4 x 30 1/2 inches

(60.33 x 89.54 x 77.47 cm)

Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Vanguard/Cook's/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2001-2003

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, modeling paste, canvasboard, paper, and wood

23 1/4 x 35 1/4 x 30 1/2 inches

(60.33 x 89.54 x 77.47 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Vanguard/Cook/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2003-05
Oil, screenprint, lithgraphy, ink transfer, and modeling paste on paper
12 1/4 x 16 3/4 inches
(31.1 x 42.5 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Vanguard/Cook/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2003-05
Oil, screenprint, lithgraphy, ink transfer, and modeling paste on paper
12 1/4 x 16 3/4 inches
(31.1 x 42.5 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for In Cold Blood), 1992
Oil and silkscreen on board
7 x 4 1/4 inches
(17.8 x 10.8 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for In Cold Blood), 1992
Oil and silkscreen on board
7 x 4 1/4 inches
(17.8 x 10.8 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 8 3/4 inches
(17.8 x 22.2 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 8 3/4 inches
(17.8 x 22.2 cm)

Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Anna Karenina), 1985-87
Oil, enamel, ink transfer, modeling paste, canvas, and wood
7 1/2 x 5 x 2/14 inches
(19.05 x 12.7 x 5.72 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Manifestos of Surrealism), 1987-88
Oil, modeling paste, linen, and wood
8 1/2 x 5 3/8 x 1 1/8 inches
(21.59 x 13.65 x 2.86 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Farewell, My Lovely), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, and wood
6 3/8 x 4 1/8 x 1/2 inches
(16.19 x 10.16 x 1.27 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (A Streecar Named Desire), 1996
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
9 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(23.5 x 16.5 x 1.9 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 x 4 5/8 x 1/2 inches
(17.78 x 11.75 x 1.27 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Candide), 1988-89
Oil, screenprint, ink transfer, modeling paste, linen, and wood
7 1/8 x 4 1/2 x 3/4 inches
(18.1 x 11.43 x 1.91 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Do You Believe in Magic?), 1992
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 7 inches
(17.78 x 17.78 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (The Beatles), 1992-94
Oil, enamel, lithography, and modeling paste on two boards
20 1/2 x 34 1/2 inches
(52.07 x 87.63 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Mary Poppins), 1993
Oil, enamel, lithography, and pencil on board
12 x 12 inches
(30.48 x 30.48 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Evian Cartons), 1993
Cartons: Oil, silkscreen on archival cardboard with wooden armatures
Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, lacquer, aluminum, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood
27 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches
(69.85 x 59.69 x 49.53 cm)
Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Rosy/Veuve Clicquout/Fortress Apple Cartons), 1994-1996

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, gold leaf, modeling paste, paper, canvasboard, and wood

31 1/8 x 24 x 21 inches

(79.06 x 60.96 x 53.34 cm)
Steve Wolfe

Untitled (Vanguard/Cook's/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2001-2003

Cartons: Oil and screenprint on archival cardboard with wooden armatures

Books: Oil, screenprint, lithography, modeling paste, canvasboard, paper, and wood

23 1/4 x 35 1/4 x 30 1/2 inches

(60.33 x 89.54 x 77.47 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Vanguard/Cook/Sapporo/Durham's/Campari Cartons), 2003-05
Oil, screenprint, lithgraphy, ink transfer, and modeling paste on paper
12 1/4 x 16 3/4 inches
(31.1 x 42.5 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for In Cold Blood), 1992
Oil and silkscreen on board
7 x 4 1/4 inches
(17.8 x 10.8 cm)
Steve Wolfe
Untitled (Study for Nine Stories), 1992
Oil, screenprint, lithography, and modeling paste on board
7 x 8 3/4 inches
(17.8 x 22.2 cm)
Artist talk with Steve Wolfe, Janet Cardiff, Jim Hodges, and Kathryn Spence

Artist talk with Steve Wolfe, Janet Cardiff, Jim Hodges, and Kathryn Spence

Source: http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/multimedia/art_talk/185#ixzz3rlpxQCLJ

© 1998 – 2015 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Steve Wolfe speaking about his work "Untitled (Cubism And Abstract Art)", Audio provided by Acoustiguide. © The Museum of Modern Art.

Steve Wolfe speaking about his work "Untitled (Cubism And Abstract Art)"

Audio provided by Acoustiguide. © The Museum of Modern Art.

Contact

For more information, please contact Leah Horowitz at leah@luhringaugustine.com.

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