Ángel Zárraga (1886-1946)

Private Collection, Mexico

This work is in good condition overall. There are a few small losses along the bottom edge and a brown mark in the chest of the Madonna. There may be some old restorations in the lighter colors and in the upper center to the right of the head of the angel. There is a dark mark in the lower center that is probably not original. We would recommend cleaning the surface and addressing a few necessary retouches. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
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.

During his interim years spent in Paris between the First and Second World Wars, the artistic production of Mexican-born painter Ángel Zárraga experienced several rounds of transformation and evolution. Far removed from the nationalistic tendencies faithfully followed by his Mexican counterparts, Zárraga’s work centered around two recurring themes: the human experience and the spiritual.

While Zárraga’s formal painterly techniques were learned and sometimes appropriated from his European contemporaries like Cézanne and Picasso, he also incorporated deeply human themes inspired by Old Master artists such as El Greco and Leonardo da Vinci.  As a result of these influences, Zárraga endeavored to gracefully express the depth of the human psyche through a modern aesthetic, especially during moments of disillusionment.

In Anunciación (The Annunciation), Zárraga presents a subject he often revisited throughout his oeuvre. His largest rendition of the theme, a fresco executed in 1925 for the crypt of Notre-Dame de la Sallette in Suresnes, France, is often considered his greatest work, a radiant modernist expression of spiritual belief. Though executed in smaller scale, the present painting retains all the exquisite detail and luminous aura of the larger work.