LOT 3

“Morototoni”, 2024

Mixed media with foil on canvas

49cm x 33 cm

Estimate: 500 to 2,000 USD

Location: Rome

THE ARTIST

Bill Claps is a visual artist, photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. His work illustrates the universal roots and common elements that are shared by all cultures, often referencing art history and language. He works in various mediums, including photography, painting, video, and performance, and his paintings, drawings, and films have been presented in exhibitions in galleries and museums internationally.

 Bill was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Harvard University, where he studied painting and art history, and he studied painting and drawing at the Art Students League in New York and in Florence, Italy. 

 THE ARTWORK

“Morototoni” is from Claps’ “Natural Abstractions Cuba” series, which highlighted the vulnerability of the Humboldt National Park in Cuba to unchecked development and climate change and raised the public’s awareness of the endangered plant species in the park.   Humboldt forest is the largest rain forest in the Caribbean and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where 95% of the flora, including the Morototoni plant, are rare plants endemic to that area.  The wilderness is threatened by logging operations encroaching on the park.