Jean Dubuffet

The Pace Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Contemporary Art, 18 May 2000, Lot 385B
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Max Laureau, Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, fasc. XXVIII: Roman Burlesque, Sites Tricolores, Paris 1979, p. 70, no. 85b

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is warmer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is some intermittent light wear with some associated specks of paint loss in places along the black border, notably to the bottom two right hand protruding elements and to the top edge, as well as to the centre of the left hand edge. There is a small light rub mark towards the left black bordered edge in the lower left hand element, and a further white diagonal rub mark to the centre of the blue striped protruding element on the right side of the composition, visible in the catalogue illustration. The white imperfection towards the centre of the bottom edge of the composition, visible in the catalogue illustration, is not present in the original. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Dubuffet began the Hourloupe series in the summer of 1962 and over the course of the next twelve years the series was to grow to extraordinary dimensions, embracing painting, sculpture, architecture and stage performance. It marks a significant and self contained period within the artist's oeuvre.

Executed in 1974, Figure IV is characterised by the artistic language which sets the Hourloupe apart from Dubuffet's imagery which came before and after. The palette is pared-down and simple: hues of red, blue, black and white are employed, with outlined areas and hatching generating a structure which only loosely recalls the figurative form. Dubuffet wrote of the series, "this cycle of work was characterised by a much more seriously arbitrary and irrational mood than anything I had done before. This was a plunge into fantasy, into a phantom parallel universe. My renewed interest in outsider art was no doubt not unconnected with this sudden new development. The word 'hourloupe' was the title of a recent little book containing 'jargon' language accompanied by reproductions of red and bleu biro drawings. I associated in my mind by assonance with the words 'hurler' (scream) 'hululer' (owl hoot), 'loup' (wolf), 'Riquet à la Houppe (a Perrault fairytale) and Maupassant's story 'Le Horla', which is about madness." (Jean Dubuffet, Biographie au Pas de Course, Paris 2001, p. 83).