J'ai une passion pour les tigres...

Bob Kuhn (American, 1920-2007) Bright Tiger, 1972

Lot 162. signed 'Kuhn' (lower left) - acrylic on masonite - 24 x 30 in. (61 x 76.2 cm.) - Painted in 1972 - Estimate: $120,000-180,000

Provenance : Purchased from the artist.

Literature : Tom Davis, Wild Harvest The Animal Art of Bob Kuhn, Sporting Classics and Wildlife Art Magazine, 1997, p. 66, illustrated p. 67.

Note : Kuhn described the inspiration for this painting, '"Burning bright, in the forests of the night" finishes the line by English poet William Blake. It's the painter's job, I believe, to evoke the essential character of the beasts he portrays. Some animals are pretty dovoid of lore; others are awash in it and the tiger is one of them. He has yielded to the world's dominant predator, grudgingly, inch by snarling inch. Ah, but consider the challenge and the pleasure of trying to capture the great cat's essence. It's a spur to me and to my continuing efforts to get it right.' (op. cit., p. 66).

Christie's. Sporting & Wildlife Art including the Collection of Doug and Ellen Miller. 28 November 2007, 10:00 am. 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York