Charles LeDray (American, b.1960) Cross Dressing

fabric, thread, buttons and wire Executed in 1993 Unframed: 61.3 x 26.7 x 7.9 cm. (24 1/8 x 10 1/2 x 3 1/8 in.) Framed: 77.5 x 52 cm. (30 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.) Works from the Collection of Frank Cohen (Lots 79-95)Provenance: With Sperone Westwater, New York, where purchased by the present ownerNotes: Charles LeDray’s meticulous, small-scale sculptures utilise the vernacular of clothing to explore profound questions of identity, labour, and the human condition. Operating entirely by hand without the use of assistants, LeDray crafts intricate garments that serve as poignant surrogates for the absent human body, transforming everyday materials into deeply psychological portraits. His works subvert traditional notions of scale and monumentality, drawing the viewer into an intimate encounter with vulnerability and personal history. Through an exhaustive, obsessive process of sewing, tailoring, and assembling, LeDray imbues his miniature vestments with a monumental emotional weight, positioning him as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary American sculpture. In the seminal 1993 work Cross Dressing, LeDray directly confronts the societal construction of gender and the performative nature of fashion. Suspended from a simple wire hanger, the piece is a meticulously stitched chimaera of male and female garments, a delicate pink lace camisole and a pleated floral skirt fused seamlessly with a men’s striped dress shirt and tailored trousers. By physically dissecting and reconstructing these highly gendered sartorial codes into a single, unified object, LeDray visualises the complex, often fragmented nature of queer identity. The absence of a physical body within the garments amplifies the work's psychological tension, leaving behind an uncanny, composite shell that speaks to the fluidity and artifice of the gendered self. This exploration of personal narrative and social margins continues in Chuck (1997), a deeply evocative piece. Here, LeDray presents a heavily distressed ensemble featuring a patched, yellow racing-style jacket layered over a blue striped shirt and violently torn blue shorts. The profound level of physical degradation engineered into the fabric, frayed edges, shredded hems, and carefully articulated signs of ruin, implies a specific, harrowing narrative of wear and survival. Unlike the structural fragmentation of Cross Dressing, Chuck presents a unified but deeply battered persona, suggesting the physical toll of a life lived on the fringes. Together, these works encapsulate LeDray’s remarkable ability to thread sweeping narratives of trauma, resilience, and identity into the very seams of his art.