Jean Dubuffet

Acquired by directly from the artist

Frankfurt, Schirn Kunstalle, Jean Dubuffet 1901-1985, December 1990 - March 1991, cat. no. 218, p. 183, illustrated
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Jean Dubuffet: a Retrospective, 1973, cat. no. 289, p. 284-5, illustrated

Max Loreau, ed., Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, Fascicule XXV: Arbres, Murs, Architectures, Lausanne, 1974, no. 106, p. 107, illustrated
Exh. Cat., New York, The Pace Gallery, J. Dubuffet, Recent Work 1974-1976, 1977, (illustration of the monumental version)
Exh. Cat., Berlin, Akademie der Künste (and traveling), Dubuffet Retrospektive, 1980, no. 284, p. 255, (illustration of the monumental version)
Dominique Wahiche, J. Dubuffet, Dessins Peintures 1942-1983, Paris, 1984, p. 30, (illustration of the monumental version)
Mildred Glimcher, Jean Dubuffet. Towards an Alternative Reality, New York, 1987, p. 247, (illustration of the monumental version)
Valérie de Costa, Fabrice Hergott, Jean Dubuffet. Works, Writings and Interviews, Barcelona, 2006, p. 107, (illustration of the monumental version in color)

This work is in very good condition. The four elements are stable and in sound condition. There is a faint evidence of a very few superficial and stable cracking troughout. An area of cracking approximately 2 inches diameter is particularly evident to the top of the larger tree element.
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.

In 1962, Dubuffet's magnificent L'hourloupe Cycle, began as a humble series of impulsive red, white, blue and black ballpoint pen telephone doodles. Not intended as a literal interpretation of reality, they instead bore "...semblances of the thrust and fertility of human thought." The artist was consumed with the power of the human mind in its ability to construct the images received by the eyes into what we perceive as reality. By creating L'hourloupe, he sought to question reality, "...do the eyes receive other things than what the mind projects on them: aren't they really reflecting the minds emissions? Perhaps we live in a world invented by ourselves..." Thus, these works become intimate expressions of the artist's unique universe of thought, reinforcing the romantic notion of the artist as creator.

Commissioned by David Rockefeller in 1969, Groupe de quatre arbres was Dubuffet's first such public sculpture and was chosen out of a group of 16 to executed on a monumental scale. To tackle the considerable structural logistics associated with the venture, Paul Weidlinger, principal of the firm Weidlinger Associates, Inc., was selected as the chief engineer. Together with Dubuffet, Weidlinger worked tirelessly to ensure the structural and artistic integrity of the project.

In 1972, Groupe de quatre arbres, was unveiled to great fanfare outside the Chase Manhattan building on Wall Street. Shortly thereafter, in recognition of his brilliant work on the project, Dubuffet presented Mr. Weidlinger with the present work. At 1/12th the size of its monumental counterpart, Groupe de quatre arbres expresses a personal and delicate vibrancy that is both stimulating and thoughtful. Significant art historically as well as important in the artist's oeuvre, it is clear why the present work was the inspiration behind a four year project to produce its exact replica on a 40 ft scale.