The figure of the nude stands at the centre of Tom Wesselmann’s oeuvre and Claire (1992) is no exception. In their preoccupation with figuration, Wesselmann’s works constitute a conscious stance against the Abstract Expressionism dominating the New York art scene in the 1950s. For Wesselmann, eroticism became a means to accomplish a new type of assertiveness without resorting to the gestural physicality exploited by the previous generation of painters. Nevertheless, in his turn toward realism, Wesselmann maintained the pre-eminence of the picture plane so central to the practice of modernist masters from Picasso to Matisse, placing an equal emphasis on all elements of the work within a shallow field of depth. Wesselmann’s distillation of forms into their most basic shapes are subtly reminiscent of Alex Katz who acted as a visiting professor during Wesselmann’s years studying at Cooper Union and is cited by Wesselmann in his memoirs more than once as an influence on his work.

Under his pseudonym, Slim Stealingworth, Wesselmann writes of himself: “Wesselmann lends his talents to a gradual abstraction, the figure of the nude is one large shape with few details. The mass dominates the sense of realness…Historically, the nude as a subject has a somewhat intimate and personal relationship to the viewer. Wesselmann’s nudes transcended these characteristics. They abandoned human relationships and as a presence became more blunt and aggressive” (Slim Stealingworth, Tom Wesselmann, New York 1980, pp. 23-24). Yet most of his nudes were modelled by his wife, Claire, as is the case in this eponymous work from 1992, imbuing them with the sensuality and tenderness felt by the spouses for one another. The artists stated

Also a student at Cooper Union where they met, Claire later became a graphic designer, approaching her role as model with the understanding of a fellow artist, becoming a creative co-conspirator. As a result, Claire is alive with shameless vitality and exalted humility, allowing the viewer to witness her identity morph seamlessly between model, muse, wife, and creator. In this way, the present work plays with the notion of the male gaze which underpins the traditional subject of the female nude; despite her diverted eyes, Claire asserts her agency, aided by Wesselmann’s confident use of thick outline.

Created in the last decade of Wesselmann’s life, Claire looks back to the artist’s seminal series Great American Nude while looking forward to his last series Sunset Nude, bridging the two bookends of his career. As such, this work exemplifies the dense cultural critique and crude artistic expression characteristic of Wesselmann’s work that makes his work both intellectually stimulating and visually captivating.