Ivan Puni (Jean Pougny)

Galerie Louis Carré, Paris
Collection of Herman Berninger (1911-2012), Zurich
Acquired from the widow of the above by the present owner

Exhibition catalogue Pougny, Albi: Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, 1958, no.36 listed
Exhibition catalogue Pougny, Saint-Etienne, 1958, p.11, no.27 listed
Exhibition catalogue Iwan Puni (Jean Pougny) 1898-1956, Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Reliefs Berlin: Haus am Waldsee, 1975, no.68 listed
H.Berninger and J.-A. Cartier, Pougny, Catalogue de l’oeuvre, vol.2, Tübingen: Ernst Wasmuth, 1992, p.180, no.685 illustrated and listed
Exhibition catalogue Jean Pougny, Paris: Paris-Musées, 1993, p.142, no.67 illustrated and listed
Exhibition catalogue Iwan Puni, 1892-1956, Berlin: Berlinische Galerie, 1993, p.152, no.67 illustrated and listed
Exhibition catalogue 0,10 - Iwan Puni, Bern: Benteli Verlag, 2003, p.257 listed

‘One characteristic of Puni which is of particular importance is the type of canvas he used to execute his paintings. Puni never used new canvases, preferring old ones, of which he always kept a reserve under the carpets in his studio. From 1937 onwards, he chose aged canvases, often cracked and worn, even revealing their weave, which he patiently prepared secretly before beginning to paint. It was then that he also got into the habit of mounting his paintings on wood and especially on masonite, by a secret procedure that gave stability and permanent protection to his works, which he always had framed under glass. The warm and precious material paired with the superimposition of the layers and Puni’s play with the imperfections and accidents of his canvases gives his paintings their inimitable dreamy atmosphere, successfully reflecting his inner emotions.’ (H.Berninger and J.-A. Cartier, Pougny, Catalogue de l’oeuvre, vol.1, Tübingen: Ernst Wasmuth, 1972, pp. 86-87)