Fernand Léger (1881-1955)

Sale: Sotheby's, London, Impressionist and Modern Art and Ceramics, October 21, 1998, lots 222 (no. 3), 223 (no. 2), 225 (no. 6), 230 (no. 4), 231 (no. 1), 233 (no. 5), 236 (no. 10), 239 (no. 9) and 242 (no. 8), all illustrated in color

1. This work has a 7 ½ in. curved repaired tear in the lower half of the work, creasing in the upper right quadrant and the brown paper is torn away from the board along the lower right and upper right edges. On the reverse there is old mounting tape along all four edges. 2. This work is numbered NºG 187, Bolivar projet on the reverse. There are four pieces of old tape adhered to the reverse as well and the sheet is folder over on three edges. There are also two small stains on the reverse. 3. This work has vibrant colors and a few handling smudges along the edges. It is numbered 36, NºG294-4 and titled Bolivar, maquette. There are four pieces of old tape along the edges of the reverse and white mounting tape along the top and bottom edges. 4. The sheet is affixed to the mat in all four corners. There is a diagonal crease in the upper right corner. 5. The work is numbered NºG 174-3B and titled Bolivar etude in the lower right corner. It is also dated 49 on the reverse. There are large pinholes to the upper right and left corners. There is a 1 in. vertical tear on the top edge 6 in. from the left edge. The right edge is uneven and there is a vertical crease 1 in. from the left margin. 6. The sheet is numbered NºG178 on the reverse in pencil. There are pinholes in the upper right and left corners. There are four pieces of old tape affixed to the reverse and a small patch in the upper right corner where there might have previously been a paper loss. 7. The piece is numbered NºG180-3 and titled Bolivar etude on the reverse. There are four pieces of old tape still affixed to the reverse. There are a few creases along the right edge of the sheet and a few smudge marks throughout. 8. The sheet is affixed to the mat in all four corners and the top edge is slightly uneven. There is slight creasing in the corners and there are the remains of half an old stamp in the center. There are a few brown spots of stain in the upper left corner. 9. There is a pencil sketch on the reverse of the sheet and it is numbered 44 in pencil and NºG107 and titled Maquette pour Bolivar on the reverse in ink. There is white mounting tape lining the top and bottom edges of the reverse. There is a 6 ½ in. vertical crease extending from the left margin and there are handling smudges throughout the work. 10. The sheet is affixed to the mat in all four corners and in each corner the tape from the reverse is visible from the front.
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 legend of Simón Bolívar was so widespread that French modernist Fernand Léger was commissioned to design the costumes and set design for an opera based on his life. The opera was based on a ten-scene play by Jules Superville, first produced in Paris in 1936.  Composed by Darius Milhaud with choreography by Serge Lifar, and produced by Max de Rieu, the opera Bolívar had its first performance at the Opéra de Paris on May 12, 1950.

 

The opera is a colossal pageant of action, triumph and tragedy where the hero is raised to glory by overcoming great trials and tribulations. It concludes with Bolívar's death in exile, his vision of a unified "America" forever lost amid the splintering of several new nations. The opera is divided into three acts opening with the death of Bolívar's young wife María Teresa. Scenes follow that depict the grand square of Caracas, his mistress Manuelita Saenz, the epic traverse of Bolívar and his troops across the Andes, his defiance of the Spanish court in Lima,  and  finally his death in exile at Santa Marta, in what is today Colombia.

 

Bolívar, Milhaud's third opera based on major figures in the history of the Americas, including Christopher Columbus (1928) and Maximilian (1930), was composed while he was living in exile in the United States during World War II and teaching at Mills College in California.