Jean Dubuffet

Galerie Beyeler, Basel
The Waddington Gallery, London
Private Collection, New York
James Goodman Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1980

London, The Waddington Gallery, Jean Dubuffet, June - July 1972, no. 61, p. 49, illustrated in color

Max Loreau, ed., Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet: Coucou Bazar, Fascicule XXVII, Lausanne, 1976, cat. no. 47, p. 41, illustrated

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of general handling and wear as well as scattered dust accretions. Additionally, there is scattered evidence of craquelure and associated restoration visible under raking light and which fluoresces darkly under the neck of the figure and in places on the arms, hands and legs.
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.

A rhythmic, asymmetric construction of red, white, blue and black, Le Sergent, 1971, is one of the brillant Praticables conceived for Jean Dubuffet's monumental Coucou Bazar.  It was performed for the first time in 1973 at the Solomon R. Guggeheim Museum in New York and subsequently in Paris and Turin. Coucou Bazar dazzled audiences as an animated circus-like spectacle of 98 moving Practicables and approximately 20 performers in similarly themed costumes.  It was unprecedented at the time in both its elaborate, awe-inspiring scale and its artistic ingenuity. 

The contradistinctions of the stripped and solid doodle-derived patterns dovetail with the harmonious balance of bold, primary colors in the present work.  Vis-à-vis these techniques of abstraction and color, Le Sergent generates tremendous energy and frenetic movement.  In fact, the artist envisioned the world through this kaleidoscope of jumbled, yet elegant forms.   Although still, one can effortlessly imagine how Le Sergent would move freely with oscillating limbs amongst the other aesthetically similar Practicables in Coucou Bazar.

Fashioned on a panel of klégécell adorned with vinyl and acrylic paint, Le Sergent, captures the playful abstraction representative not only of Coucou Bazar but of Dubuffet's larger iconic cycle Hourloupe, which began in 1962.  Likewise, the whimsical and celebrated style of Le Sergent is indicative of the fêted series Hourloupe, which has become synonymous with the artist's name. 

This important early rendering of Le Sergent demonstrates Dubuffet's ability to captivate audiences with humor, skill, color and form.  Although this example lends itself to participate fluidly in Coucou Bazar, individually it stands as a powerful figure, resolutely firm in its broad, authoritative build.  Just in the way that Dubuffet's title of the Hourloupe series stems from a play-on-words, Le Sergent reveals a cunning sense of humor in the choice of a "sergent," or military commander, to describe this comical figure.