The sculpture Likeness Guaranteed by Scottish artist David Mach was specially commissioned from the artist for McMaster University as part of the Levy Bequest Purchase Programme. As an integral part of the commission the artist was brought to Hamilton in March 1996. Generally, Mach reacts to the concept of site in ways that combine his own interests as an artist with the physical, geographical and cultural life unique to location. Some of his initial thoughts and ideas included Scottish immigration and settlement in the region, the importance of steel to Hamilton's economic development and the relationship between industry and the natural environment. In the end he deemed these reactions stereotypical. It was the revelation of a major collection of European art at McMaster University that provided Mach with what he considered to be the most important and defining site specific element for the commission.

David Mach Likeness Guaranteed 1996 Wirecoat hangers with steel reinforcing 182.9 x 134.6 cm Levy Bequest Purchase photo: Isaac Applebaum

As with many visitors to the McMaster Museum of Art it was the painting Waterloo Bridge, Effet de Soleil by Claude Monet which first caught the artist's attention. However, a closer examination of other holdings within the University's collection lead to an example of Canadian historical painting -- George Reid's Call to Dinner from 1886-1887. Mach's decision to use this painting as a major element of the commission is entirely appropriate as it is one of the most travelled works in the collection and one that consistently provokes a response from a breadth of visitors. It is a highly accomplished work which provides a very real physical link between the artistic traditions of Europe and the Canadian context and proves Reid's skill in the use of the most recent developments in contemporary European art for specifically Canadian purposes. The selection of the painting, an iconic image of the artist's sister Susan calling to field workers on the family's Wingham, Ontario farm, also provides satisfying confirmation that museum collections do play a catalytic role in the creative process.

Likeness Guaranteed was permanently installed in the stairwell of the McMaster Museum of Art, with the artist's help, on October 1, 1996. It is an elaborate construction of coat hangers and steel reinforcements made specifically for this location and which incorporates elements from the painting by George Reid within the decorative relief around the urn. The creation of Likeness Guaranteed for McMaster University relates to a group of works by the artist which have combined aspects of portraiture with references to the classical past. The odd juxtaposition of materials and subject matter is typical of Mach's approach in that the artist often exploits everyday, mass produced materials to create large scale works which comment on the definition of art and the commodification of culture in ways that are revealing, irreverent and always humorous.