Catalogue Raisonné. Only One of Them Uses Colgate II, CR622
The Major Periods
1962 – 1965: Early Pop Paintings
As one of the original wave of Pop artists Gerald Laing produced some of the most significant works of the British Pop movement. His paintings reproduced images of popular heroes such as starlets, film stars, drag racers, astronauts and skydivers. His 1962 portrait of Brigitte Bardot is an iconic work of the period and regularly features in major Pop retrospectives alongside Lincoln Convertible from 1964, a commemoration of the assassination of JFK.
1965 – 1970: Utopian Abstract Sculpture
From 1965 Gerald Laing's painting evolved into abstract sculptures using the techniques and materials of car customisation - lacquering, spray-painting and chrome-plating on metal.
View all Utopian Abstract Sculpture
1970 – 1973: Sculpture In The Landscape
A move from New York to the Highlands of Scotland in 1970 saw Gerald Laing's sculpture respond to the beauty, roughness and power of the surrounding landscape.
View all Sculpture In The Landscape
1972 – 2010: Public Sculpture
Public sculptures include the the Bank Station Dragons; the Rugby Sculptures at Twickenham Stadium; the Cricketer at Lords; the Highland Clearances Memorial in Helmsdale, Sutherland and Axis Mundi in Edinburgh.
1973 – 1980: Galina Series
Inspired by the figurative sculpture of the First World War Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, in 1973 Gerald Laing began to model in clay and cast in bronze. The Galina Series and associated sculptures were his first works from this period.
1982 – 2007: Portrait Heads
Gerald Laing's portrait work includes heads and reliefs of Luciano Pavarotti, Andy Warhol, Paul Getty and Sam Wanamaker.
2002 – 2005: War Paintings
The Iraq war and the publication of images of torture at Abu Ghraib prison drew Gerald Laing back to painting for the first time in over three decades. The War Paintings series sees the starlets and all-American heroes of his early paintings take on new, more sinister roles.
2004 – 2011: New Paintings
Returning to the style and subject matter of his early pop art paintings, Gerald Laing's latest paintings feature media images of contemporary celebrities including Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss.
Search the Catalogue
We currently have no image for Only One of Them Uses Colgate II. If you own this work or have an image of it please get in touch with us by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or by filling in this form.
Only One of Them Uses Colgate II
CR 622
Kinkell, Scotland
2005
Oil on canvas
32 x 36 inches
Citations and Comments
What has happened to my American Starlets of the early 1960’s?
Evidently some of them have joined the US Army.
Here is one gesticulating triumphantly over the battered corpse of a dead Iraqi in Abu Ghraib Prison. She wears rubber gloves to protect her hands, but not from domestic dirt. She looks as if she might be an ad for toothpaste. We know the American dental fetish for perfect teeth. There is a marked difference between hers and those of the victim. The corpse was wrapped in what appears to be an Arab Airlines plastic bag.
I took the liberty of substituting the Colgate logo in commemoration of Bush’s immortal words at his first press conference with Blair. When asked what they could possibly have in common, he replied, “We both use Colgate”.
Even so, and as one would expect, Bush’s teeth are far more even and white than Blair’s.
Gerald Laing
Catalogue Raisonné Information
We are compiling a full record of all Gerald Laing's artworks for the publication of a full Catalogue Raisonné.
If you own or have owned this work we would be most grateful for your help in ensuring that all details in the catalogue are correct - please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or fill in this form.
- Gerald Laing: Iraq War Paintings, Galerie Salvador, Paris, 2005
- Gerald Laing: Iraq War Paintings, Globe Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2007