Victor Brauner

Vente : Maurice Rheims, Palais Galliera, Paris, 23 mars 1965, lot 8
Collection particulière, Europe (acquis lors de cette vente)

Lausanne, Fondation de l'Hermitage, Victor Brauner ou L'Enchantement surréaliste, 1999, no. 11

Didier Semin, Victor Brauner, Paris, 1990, reproduit p. 244

Please note that measurements in inches are incomplete in the printed catalogue and should read 31 7/8 x 25 5/8 in. The masonite is sound. A close inspection reveals eight small spots of wax-loss, one 0.5x0.5cm spot in the beige wax on the right edge, parallel with the lips; a 0.2x0.2cm spot in the yellow wax, just above the lips; a 0.2x0.2cm in the beige wax on the right of the face; two 0.5x0.5cm spots in the green wax to the upper right of the head; one pin-head-sized loss on the lower part of the figure's left ear, and two tiny spots in the beige wax towards the centre of the left edge. Otherwise this work is in good original condition.
"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."

signed 'V.B.' and dated 'V.1958' (lower right); titled 'Le Boyard' (on the reverse), wax, oil and mixed media on masonite. Painted in May 1958.

 

Dans tout l'œuvre de Victor Brauner, l'esthétique des arts primitifs, de l'art populaire et l'influence des sciences occultes sont omniprésentes. L'artiste, qui possédait une collection de pièces d'arts premiers, s'intéressa particulièrement à la signification et à la dimension rituelle de ces œuvres, enrichissant ses peintures de leurs symboles chargés de sens tout en dépassant la simple inspiration formelle.

Les œuvres de Brauner sont ainsi un syncrétisme de divers mythes et éléments égyptiens, précolombiens et africains. Le Boyard illustre parfaitement cette fusion de différents traits culturels. Ce portrait au regard fixe et au modelé subtil, déterminé par un mince cerne rappelle les compositions hiératiques de l'Egypte ancienne. L'arête nasale, semblable à celles des figurines Dogon, partage symétriquement la composition. Cette symétrie, que l'on retrouve fréquemment dans les œuvres de l'artiste, est profondément ancrée dans la représentation que Victor Brauner se fait du monde et du rôle qu'il y joue. Brauner est ainsi "comme un guetteur posté sur l'axe de symétrie générale qui partage le microcosme et le Macrocosme, la conscience et l'inconscient, le passé et l'avenir dont l'isomorphie autorise la prémonition au même titre que le souvenir" (Didier Semin, Victor Brauner, Paris 1990).

In all of Victor Brauner's œuvre, the aesthetics of tribal art, folk art and the influence of the occult are omnipresent. The artist possessed a collection of tribal works of art and was particularly interested in the significance and ritual dimension of these pieces which enriched his paintings with their abundantly meaningful symbols, providing far more than mere formal inspiration.

Brauner's works are thus a synthesis of diverse myths and Egyptian, Pre-Columbian and African elements. Le Boyard perfectly illustrates this fusion of different cultural traits. The face-on, finely sculpted portrait, delineated by a thin outline, recalls the hieratic compositions of Ancient Egypt. This symmetry, which is frequently found in the artist's work, is deeply rooted in Victor Brauner's representation of the world and the role that he plays within it. Brauner is thus "like a watchman positioned on the axis of general symmetry shared by the microcosm and the macrocosm, the conscious and the unconscious, the past and the future whose similar appearance allows for premonitions as well as memories" (Didier Semin, Victor Brauner, Paris 1990).