The story of how the sculpture series “Repose” got its start and how it brings a whole new dynamic to the relation between cars and art.
The story starts when a Los Angeles artist by the name of Anthony James began seeing some success in his art and started making a profit. As we’re sure most people would do he went out and bought himself a Ferrari, a 1998 Ferrari 355 Spider to be exact, however unlike most people he didn't use it for its speed on the track, or the social recognition and high status associated with the car, or even just simply keep it as a collector car. No, he decided that the best use for his Ferrari was to just set it on fire.
This piece of art would later be known as “Kalos Thanatos” a Greek phrase meaning “Beautiful Death”. This name was meant to reflect the heroic stories of the Iliad which James says was a large piece of inspiration for this work. One look at this line up of Ferraris of old and it is clear that one message overtakes all others, sacrifice.
These pieces were built to reflect sacrifice and showcase the idea that you will not make yourself happy by buying yourself a new car, even if it is your dream car, but rather that happiness lies within you and your passions. Anthony sacrifices the car of his dreams and thus it becomes a medium through which to express his purpose.
There are also two more completed works of art one being a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa made from bronze and the other a 1967 Ferrari P4 of aluminum. Currently, in the works is a beautiful 1962 250 Ferrari GTO made completely of copper which is said to give the car a very feminine aesthetic. Anthony James’s artistic representation of sacrifice, pain, suffering, happiness, purpose, and passion through his cars is truly astounding and creates a sense of connection between the creator and his work. The art is designed to age and grow with time and will retain its beauty and continue to amaze for many generations to come.
