Wassily Kandinsky

Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris

Mlle Elisabeth Korzeniowska, Paris (acquired from the above on March 15, 1941)

Galerie d'Art Moderne (Marie-Suzanne Feigel), Basel

Private Collection, Milan (acquired in 1958)

By descent from the above in 1977

Turin, Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna, Il Cavaliere Azzurro, 1971, illustrated in the catalogue

Hans K. Roethel & Jean K. Benjamin, Kandinsky, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil-Paintings, Volume Two 1916-1944, Ithaca, 1984, referenced p. 963

Vivian Endicott Barnett, "Kandinskys Werke aus Privatsammlungen," Kandinsky, Kleine Freuden: Aquarelle und Zeichnungen (exhibition catalogue), Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, 1992, illustrated p. 53

Vivian Endicott Barnett, Kandinsky Watercolours, Catalogue raisonné, 1922-1944, Ithaca, no. 1207, illustrated p. 422

Very good condition. The sheet has been laid down on board by the artist and inscribed by his hand on the reverse. There are some scuff marks around the extreme periphery that have been caused by the frame. The color of the monogram is slightly faded, but the overall colors are fresh and in excellent 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.
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.

The works Kandinsky painted while in Paris in the 1930s display the influence of Surrealism aesthetic on his art.  Biomorphic forms populate these compositions, and their palette is typically defined by the sharp contrasts of light and dark seen in the work of Miró, Léger and Picasso during this era.  Not to be overtaken by the influence of the Parisian avant-garde, Kandinsky held fast to his Bauhaus principles, emphasizing balance and the harmony of color and spatial relationships in these compositions.  The present gouache, with its linear precision and calculated spatial construct, is a stunning example of how the artist now melded past training with contemporary aesthetic, creating a style that was truly his own. The present work is related to a glass painting from November 1936 entitled Formes en tension in the collection of the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.