伊夫·唐吉

Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris (acquired from the artist)
Private Collection, Paris (acquired in the early 1930s)
Lefevre Fine Art Ltd., London (acquired from the above in 2004)
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2004

The canvas is unlined. Apart from some very minor retouchings to the corners of the canvas visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall the colours are fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although they are slightly warmer and the blue is richer in the orginal.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1925 Tanguy was invited by André Breton to become a member of the Surrealist group. By the time he created Composition he was a highly accomplished painter and in complete command of a new personal Surrealist language which was often based on his childhood fascination with the sea. The luminous blue of the upper composition is streaked by fine white tendrils and enlivened by the presence of a biomorphic figure that stalks the ocean floor. Though Tanguy received no formal artistic training, his childhood summers spent near Finistère in Brittany, on the western coast of France overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, were to have a profound influence on his style. It was during these stays that Tanguy had observed prehistoric rock formations and objects floating on water or washed up on the shore, elements that, subjectively transformed, frequently appear in the dream world Tanguy celebrated as a painter throughout his career.

Discussing the artist’s creative process, James Thrall Soby writes: ‘Tanguy was an artist who never tormented his inspiration. A slow, meticulous craftsman, working in an impeccable studio, he painted only when the spirit moved him – that steadfast, rare, creative spirit which remains a heartening phenomenon in the art of our time. […] Once he had found his direction – and he found it with startling abruptness – he followed it with devotion and purity’ (J. T. Soby in Yves Tanguy (exhibition catalogue), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1955, p. 9). And it was 1927 which marked a watershed in this career: he began to create works that through their ingenuity and beauty firmly established the style which became the defining aesthetic of his art (fig. 1). The same year he was recognised by his fellow Surrealists by being given his first one-man show at the Galerie Surréaliste in Paris.