**First Time At Auction**

Louis Recchia (American, b. 1949). "Blind Date" mixed media, n.d. Signed at lower left. Artist and title on verso. A whimsical mixed media piece by Louis Recchia that puts a twist on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The reverse painting presents Red as a young woman, still holding her basket, but now wearing a sexy sleeveless dress adorned with polka dotted pink collaged paper, pink cat-eyed sunglasses, and a bucket-shaped hat adorned with colorful starfish as she is at the beach. The Big Bad Wolf, who is about to put his arm around Red's shoulder, is dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and tight pink pants and holds a banner that humorously reads, "Blind Date". Palm trees, blue ocean waters, and an active volcano set the scene for this intriguing re-encounter between no longer "Little" Red and the sly wolf, and Recchia's artistic energy extends to the frame with abstract expressionist drips and swirls of red paint over baby blue and buttercup yellow borders as well as four miniature circular black ceramic tiles marking each corner. Size: 16.375" L x 14.125" W (41.6 cm x 35.9 cm)

About the artist: "Louis Recchia has been producing contemporary art in Denver for over three decades. Over the years, his paintings have been shown in many places including the Museum of Modern Art, Vienna; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; and the Denver Art Museum.

'The central theme in my work is the question of who we are. It explores the emotions and relationships of individuals to each other as well as to society.'

'The found objects in my work are used much as an anthropologist might study the artifacts of past cultures, giving insights to who these people were. The things we make, value and then discard reveal more about us than words ever could. The ubiquitous use of mirrors in my work reinforces this theme of looking at ourselves; though the image is invariably distorted and fragmented.'"

Provenance: private Goldstein collection, Denver, Colorado, USA. The Goldstein's have amassed their collection over the past six decades.

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#177169

Signed at lower left. Fit with suspension wire. Overall excellent.