Robert O. Lenkiewicz (British, 1941-2002) Diogenes

Robert O. Lenkiewicz (British, 1941-2002) Diogenes signed 'Lenkiewicz' (lower right) oil on canvas 25.5 x 61cm (10 1/16 x 24in). Footnotes: Provenance Sale; Bonhams, London, 30 November 2004, lot 114, where acquired by the present owner 'Diogenes' was the name given to vagrant Edward Mackenzie, who was living in a concrete barrel when found and befriended by Lenkiewicz. He was a regular model for the artist's project 'Vagrants'. Mackenzie's embalmed body was found in a drawer in Lenkiewicz's studio in Plymouth after the artist's death in 2002. Having died 18 years previously, it is believed it was Mackenzie's dying wish to be embalmed as a work of art. Diogenes wasn't the only corpse discovered in Lenciewicz's possessions. He had also purchased the remains of the 16th Century witch, Ursula Kemp, in the late 1990s from Cecil Williamson, founder of the Museum of Witchcraft at Boscastle, Cornwall. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: AR AR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com