Bibs! They look so weird! At least they have a purpose. Unlike their nearest neckwear relative, the equally inexplicable and ridiculous-looking necktie. Bibs can keep a kid's outfit slightly cleaner when he is eating. But they are not part of the outfit! They are odd-looking functional items that look even weirder when a kid is not eating. [Super-droolers get a pass here, obviously, though you'll have to decide for yourself what point on the Drooling Scale really warrants a perma-bib.]
Anyway, their unusual form may be why Luc Tuymans, esteemed Belgian painter of the wan, chose to paint Bibs in 1995. The form, disembodied from its protective function, turned into a curvaceous, biomorphic object.
It works for me, though. And the estimate feels right for a manageably sized, early-ish, thoughtful, but not-too-showy, Tuymans painting. Just hope that a contemporary sale at Christie's Amsterdam is still far enough off the art world's beaten path to keep the bidding to a minimum.
Apr 20-21, 2016, Lot 30 | Luc Tuymans, Bibs, 1995, est. €100,000 - €150,000 [christies.com]
