Andres Serrano, Hooded Warbler II, 2000

Cibachrome. height - 24 in, width - 20 in. signed numbered on verso. Estimate: from $1,600 to $2,000.

Note: This was an interesting time for Andres Serrano. This example, Hooded Warbler II, done for the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) Photography Portfolio, finds Serrano experimenting with more serene subjects. Serrano did this work in 2000, on the heels of Brooklyn Museum of Art's Sensations Exhibit in 1999, where Chris Ofili and the rest of the exhibitors earned the disdain of Rudy Giuliani and the Catholic Cardinal John O' Connor for their "horrible and disgusting projects." Threats to cease public funding for the museum and litigation ensued. Like the Sensations exhibitors, Andres Serrano had rattled the cage of the Church and fellow conservatives just a couple years prior with his "Piss Christ" piece, which was sold in 1999 for $162,000. Serrano has been no stranger to controversy as he had been the subject of similar debates of censorship throughout his career. However, while the fervor of Sensations was at its height, Serrano seemed to be dabbling in less provocative material.

The BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) Benefit Photography Portfolio project consisted of 11 of the most important photographers working at the time, including: Richard Avedon, Adam Fuss, Ralph Gibson, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Annie Leibovitz, Jack Pierson, Richard Prince, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and William Wegman. The portfolio was produced in additions of 40.

Artnet online auctions. Wednesday, January 07, 2009. www.artnet.com/auctions