Max Ernst

Edouard Loeb, Paris
Claude Fréville, Paris (sold: Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., London, 26th March 1980, lot 51)
Galerie Ardetti, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner

José Pierre, Le Surréalisme, Lausanne, 1967, illustrated in colour p. 58
Werner Spies, Max Ernst, Œuvre-Katalog. Werke 1939-1953, Cologne, 1987, vol. IV, no. 2382, illustrated p. 41

The board is stable. Apart from some spots and areas of retouching at all four framing edges, and other scattered small spots of retouching, mainly in the trees on the left, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly stronger and deeper in the original, particularly the green tones in the trees on the left.
"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."

Painted in 1941, Arbre et deux personnages belongs to a highly important period in Ernst's career, when his painting reached a crescendo of Surrealist fantasy, with dark forest and fantastical creatures dominating his compositions. This phase of Ernst's œuvre was dominated by the technique of decalcomania, beautifully explored in the present work. Invented by Oscar Dominguez in 1935, this process immediately became as important a Surrealist technique as automatic writing, collage, frottage and grattage. The technique of decalcomania consists of covering the board or canvas with a layer of pigment and then pressing onto it with a smooth surface such as glass. A rich pattern that emerges as a result has the appearance of trees, corals, rocks or imaginary creatures.

 

The Surrealists, including Max Ernst, instantly found inspiration in this new process. In the present work, this technique has resulted in a dreamlike, otherworldly composition dominated by two figures cloaked in mysterious garments, and trees on their left. 'Decalcomania was what might be termed an intersubjective method, comparable to the automatic writing, the dream protocols and the cadavres exquis of the late 1920s. Yet with Max Ernst, the game led to a marvellous expansion of his visionary world [...] employed with great sophistication and supplemented by interpretative additions by hand' (Max Ernst (exhibition catalogue), Tate Gallery, London, 1991, p. 230).