Robert Griffiths Hodgins (South African, 1920-2010) Prison Games
Robert Griffiths Hodgins (South African, 1920-2010)
Prison Games
signed, titled and dated 'Robert Hodgins/ Prison Games/ o/c 2005/6' and bears a label with the lot description and inscribed '24.' (verso)
oil on canvas
90 x 120cm (35 7/16 x 47 1/4in).
Footnotes:
This painting was executed in 2005 and refers to the interrogation tactics used on prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay. Earlier in the year, the case of Detainee 063 made the cover of TIME magazine.
TIME magazine had obtained the 84-page secret interrogation log of Detainee 063. Not intended for public release, the leaked document provided the first window into the internal workings of the classified Gitmo interrogations since the detention camp opened. It spanned 50 days over the winter of 2002-3, during which 16 additional interrogation techniques were approved by the US Defense Secretary.
The log did not indicate how successful these additional measures were in obtaining intelligence. The case fuelled international debate about whether such techniques were an abuse of detainees' rights.
Hodgins depicts a slumped anonymous figure in a chair adjacent to a red figure brandishing a gun. The scene displays the violence of the environment, in both palette and composition. We are forced to examine our conscience, and question the legitimacy of this treatment.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR
AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.
For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Robert Griffiths Hodgins (South African, 1920-2010)
Prison Games
signed, titled and dated 'Robert Hodgins/ Prison Games/ o/c 2005/6' and bears a label with the lot description and inscribed '24.' (verso)
oil on canvas
90 x 120cm (35 7/16 x 47 1/4in).
Footnotes:
This painting was executed in 2005 and refers to the interrogation tactics used on prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay. Earlier in the year, the case of Detainee 063 made the cover of TIME magazine.
TIME magazine had obtained the 84-page secret interrogation log of Detainee 063. Not intended for public release, the leaked document provided the first window into the internal workings of the classified Gitmo interrogations since the detention camp opened. It spanned 50 days over the winter of 2002-3, during which 16 additional interrogation techniques were approved by the US Defense Secretary.
The log did not indicate how successful these additional measures were in obtaining intelligence. The case fuelled international debate about whether such techniques were an abuse of detainees' rights.
Hodgins depicts a slumped anonymous figure in a chair adjacent to a red figure brandishing a gun. The scene displays the violence of the environment, in both palette and composition. We are forced to examine our conscience, and question the legitimacy of this treatment.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR
AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.
For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
