Victor Brauner

Hélène Anavi Collection, France (sold: Sotheby's, London, March 27, 1984, lot 16)

Acquired at the above sale by the family of the present owner

Lausanne, Fondation de l'Hermitage, Victor Brauner ou l'enchantement surréaliste, 1999, no. 17

Didier Semin, Victor Brauner, Paris, 1990, illustrated in color p. 19

Original canvas. There are areas of slightly discolored varnish, and the surface would respond well to a light surface cleaning. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of retouching. Overall, this work is in excellent original condition. Colors: The colors are more subtle than they appear in the catalogue illustration.
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.

Born in Romania, Brauner first travelled to Paris in 1925, where he immediately became involved with the artistic avant-garde, contributing to Dada periodicals.  In 1930, when he finally settled in Paris, he met Yves Tanguy, who would later introduce him to the Surrealist group.  During the war years he lived in exile in a remote village in the Eastern Pyrenées, while retaining contact with the Surrealists staying in Marseille.  In 1948, the year the present work was executed, Brauner broke away from the Surrealist group, however he continued working in his highly individual surrealist manner for the rest of his career.

Brauner's art takes its inspiration from a variety of sources, including folk art, esoteric cultures and the occult.  Combining various human and animal-like beings with architecture, near-abstract forms and writing, Tableau autobiographique - Ultratableau biosensible presents a pinnacle of Brauner's personal mythology.  It depicts dreams, fantasies, fears and demons from the artist's childhood and his early years, such as the sleepwalking girl whom he feared as a boy, seen wearing a nightdress in the center of the composition.  This rich and complex painting skilfully combines memories from the artist's childhood and images from his subconscious, to create a veritable Surrealist autobiography.

The figures are painted with strongly delineated contours and flat color planes that emphasize the two-dimensionality of the picture surface.  Brauner's style is deliberately cartoon-like, while at the same time using pictorial devices seen in ancient Egyptian and Byzantine frescoes that instill the composition with a sense of grandeur.  The artist's imaginary and mysteriously intertwined figures seem to belong to a world of fantasy that recalls Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.

The present work was formerly in the collection of Hélène Anavi, an American collector living in Paris.  The wife of a wealthy industrialist, she amassed an impressive collection, with a particular emphasis on Surrealist and post-war art, and was also a philanthropist with an interest in medical research.  In 1982 Hélène Anavi donated a significant part of her art collection to the French scientist Jean Dausset, winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine.  After her death two years later, Dausset sold the collection at a landmark auction at Sotheby's London, for the benefit of the Foundation for Medical Research in Paris.