Caroline Coon
Self, 1994/2024
£250
A limited edition Giclée print, signed and numbered by the artist. Exclusive to House of Voltaire
Edition Size
30
Dimensions
59.5 x 42 cm
Finishing
Giclée on Somerset Satin
The price of the edition increases as it sells out
Between Parades, 1985, Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery
About The Artwork
Caroline Coon is a London based artist whose work radically challenges traditional depictions of women’s bodies and the male gaze. A lifelong political activist, Coon reframes her subjects from a feminist perspective, weaving narratives that are both honest and provocative. On ‘Self’ Coon says “To me a bathroom is a happy place of escape, both ordinary and intimate, where we can have time to wash away the cares of the world. When I was making this chalk drawing I was thinking of soapy foam bubbles and my favourite perfume.”
About Caroline Coon
Inspired by feminism and the politics of sexual liberation, Caroline Coon’s unique paintings contest binary notions of gender and oppressive patriarchal values. Her distinctive style is characterised by crisp-edged lines, bright colours and hyperrealism redolent of Paul Cadmus and Tamara de Lempicka.
A trailblazer of London’s counterculture, Coon has campaigned for women’s rights since the 1960s; co-founded Release in 1967, a legal-advice agency for young people charged with the possession of drugs that continues today; and was central to the city’s nascent punk scene, managing The Clash from 1978 to 1980. In the spirit of her activism, Coon’s art breaks down social taboos and in turn challenges ideas of what a female artist should be.
In 2018, at the age of 73, Coon had her first ever solo show at The Gallery Liverpool titled: ‘The Great Offender'. This was followed by solo exhibitions at TRAMPS in London (2019) curated by Peter Doig and Parinaz Magadassi and at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London (2022). Her work featured in the group exhibition ‘Mixing It Up: Painting Today’ at the Hayward Gallery, London (2021) and is also highlighted in ‘Women in Revolt!', currently touring from Tate Britain, London (2023). Two paintings by Coon were recently added to Tate’s permanent collection.