Fernand Léger

Galerie Louis Carré, Paris
Private Collection
M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York

Paris, Galerie Louis Carré, F. Léger, peintures, 1953, no. 16

Georges Bauquier, Fernand Léger, 1938-1943, Le catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1995, no. 1043, illustrated p. 109

This painting is on its original stretcher and the tacking edges are intact. The inscription on the reverse is clearly visible. The paint layer is clean, unvarnished and undamaged. The slight texture to the white background is original and any nuances to the paint layer within the still life are also intended by the artist. Under ultraviolet light, a handful of tiny retouches on the lower right beneath the signature and a spot or two in the white in the center of the left side can be seen; there do not appear to be any other retouches of any note. The picture should be hung as is. The above condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.
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Aroused by political feeling and a recognition of the social potential of art, Léger's compositions of the late 1930s adopted a universal approach and elemental iconography. Seeking to appeal to the masses, Léger's aesthetic rejected the need for any narrative, subverting conventional means of pictorial representation. This new style sought to break down the divides between high and low culture by celebrating the beauty of everyday objects.

The sculptural boldness of form, line and color, the latter of which Léger proclaimed in 1938 as "a vital necessity ... [a] raw material indispensable to life, like water and fire" (C. Lanchner, Fernand Léger (exhibition catalogue), New York, 1998, p. 227), reflect the concepts of American sculptor Alexander Calder whom Léger had met in 1930, following which Léger wrote the introduction to an exhibition of Calder's sculptures in Paris. The shared principles are evident in each of the artist's work (see fig. 1). By eliminating any sense of perspective, the flat forms in Léger's Composition polychrome float in space, layered claustrophobically, neither shape permitted to be the primary focus of the composition. Léger's compositions demanded a revised set of laws to read a work of art, laws governed by instinct and visualization in place of education and class.

Fig. 1  Alexander Calder, Blue and Yellow Sickles, painted sheet metal and wire, 1960, sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 12, 2010, lot 13 for $3,778,500