Lars Tunebo (1962) - Looking for a new handbag

Lars Tunebo – "Looking for a New Handbag" – Mixed Media, Hand-Signed Limited Edition, Professionally Framed

Lars Tunebo was born in 1962 in Lysekil, Sweden, and lives and works in Gothenburg. A self-taught artist, he has spent over 25 years working across bronze, glass, painting, and photography/mixed media. His work is held in public and private collections and has been shown in Los Angeles, Monaco, London, Moscow, Dubai, Copenhagen, Brussels, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Marbella.

Tunebo is best known internationally for his witty photo-montages of exotic animals dropped into unexpected, glamorous urban settings such as elephants balancing on tightropes above New York, or on their heads in London. Each piece is built from multiple layered photographs, originally composed in black and white before colour is selectively applied to the central subject and chosen details, making the animal pop vividly against its otherwise colourless, elegant backdrop. Every work is then hand-finished with transparent colours and individual effects, giving each limited edition a distinctive, pearlescent quality. His pieces are as much playful social commentary as art. A wry contrast between vibrant, living creatures and the beautiful but lifeless luxury of the cityscapes surrounding them.

"Looking for a New Handbag" continues this theme: a striking turquoise ostrich, dressed up with a gold chain-link handbag, strides confidently past the arched windows of a Louis Vuitton boutique as a cheeky nod to designer shopping and conspicuous consumption. This particular piece was specially created for the AAF (Affordable Art Fair) in Milan in 2017, and the frame itself was designed to echo that origin in rich dark wood with an orange line and gold inset, mirroring the ornate mosaic floor tiles found in Milan's historic shopping galleries.

Details:

Artist: Lars Tunebo
Title: "Looking for a New Handbag"
Medium: Mixed media; partially hand-coloured, glittered, and varnished
Hand signed
Limited edition: 3/30
Year: 2017
Period: 2010–present
Image size: 49 x 69 cm (unframed)
Framed dimensions: 71 x 90 cm
Professionally double-framed with art glass, in a rich dark wood frame with orange line and gold inset detailing, designed to echo the Milan mosaic flooring referenced in the piece's original context (created for AAF Milan 2017)
Condition: purchased "as new," since professionally framed
Note: we cannot guarantee the glass against breakage in transit, but every care will be taken to ensure it is wrapped and packed appropriately for safe delivery
Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist via Catawiki, November 2020