Serge Ferat

Haba & Alban Roussot, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in 1958 and sold: Artcurial, Paris, October 22, 2007, lot 643)
Private Collection Europe (acquired from the above sale)
Sale: Louiza Auktion & Associés, Brussels, December 17, 2011, lot 87
Acquired at the above sale 

Canvas is lined. The colors are bright and fresh and the surface is richly textured. Scattered craquelure throughout as well as some scattered areas of pigment shrinkage. Under UV light areas of inpainting fluoresce, scattered throughout the composition. This work is in stable 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.

Ferat left his native Moscow for France in the early 1900s, and on his arrival in Paris in 1905 a salon of artists developed around the house he shared with his cousin, the Baroness Helen d'Oettingen. He later became the co-editor of Guillaume Apollinaire's influential review Soirées de Paris, which attracted contributions from leading figures of the European literary and artistic avant-garde including both Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger.

Ferat was a regular participant in the Salon des Indépendants from 1910-28 under various pseudonyms, exhibiting compositions which closely followed the Cubist idiom established by Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris. The present lot illustrates another major influence on his work, that of the the circus. Apollinaire first introduced Ferat to the Cirque Médrano, which had become a meeting place for Picasso and his circle, who would visit several times a week to behold the great spectacle. Férat used the subject to explore the transformative effects of his own imagination on form and color. In 1924, Jean Cocteau wrote of Férat's artistic vision: "Now deeply familiar with Cubist practice, [he] has arrived at this delightful period where the game consists of coming full circle, that is to say, of making a complete turn... The drawings of Serge Férat do not belong to any school. His method consists only of love. Whether it is a love of drawing or a love of nature, I do not know. They both merge into each other."

The present lot formed part of Ferat's estate, which the artist bequeathed in its entirety to his partner, Haba Roussot. Until her own death in 2001, Roussot dedicated herself to promoting Férat's artistic legacy.