a series of 4 unique mural-sized Polaroid Polacolor prints, each framed, 1988 (4)

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, American Perspectives: Photographs from the Polaroid Collection, September - November 2000, and traveling to 3 other venues through 2001༺ (see Appendix 1)

Photographic Resource Center at Boston University, American Perspectives: Photographs from the Polaroid Collection (a continuation of a portion of the original American Perspectives exhibition), November 2002 – January 2003

American Perspectives: Photographs from the Polaroid Collection (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 2000), pl. 100 (these prints)

Although these mural-sized Polaroid prints have not been examined out of their frames, they appears to be in generally excellent condition. The colors are rich and saturated, with no apparent fading. There is a slight waviness to the prints, likely as a result of their size, and there is faint scuffing at the wavy areas from the Plexiglas touching the emulsion.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The unique work presented here is taken from an original Robert Heinecken relief collage of cut, crumpled, and crushed magazine advertisements placed strategically on black mounts to create four figures: a father, a mother, a teenaged daughter, and a baby.  The brand names and consumer goods featured so prominently in the composition undermine the much-touted integrity of the cherished nuclear family unit.  With its emphasis on consumer culture, the Upper Middle Class Nuclear Family points a finger at the fractured values oꦗf contemporary society.

In 1988, Robert Heinecken received a Polaroid Corporation grant to use the giant 40-by-80-inch Polaroid camera at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, a camera developed initially to copy paintings.  This 12-foot-by-12-foot, 16-foot high, room-sized camera was also perfect for the large scale of Heinecken's Upper Middle Class Nuclear Family, and its direct-positive images were able to capture perfectly both the breadth and detail of Heinecken's collage.  The suite of giant Polaroid💜s offered here, comparable to the scale of the original work, was made in 1988, the year after the collage was created, and as such, preserves the freshness and vivid colors of the ephemeral magazine pages. 

The original relief collage of the Upper Middle Class Nuclear Family is owned by the Robert Heinecken Trust, Chicago, Illino✤is.