保羅·德沃爾

Claude Spaak, Belgium (commisioned from the artist)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Brussels, Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Paul Delvaux, 1997, no. 204, illustrated in the catalogue

(I, III & IV) Executed on cream wove paper, laid down on card which is hinged to the mount on the reverse of the top edge. (II) Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount on the reverse of the top edge. There is a round sticker in the lower right corner on the reverse. This work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the yellow tone is softer in the original.
"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."

These masterful drawings represent one of the most important relationships of Delvaux’s life. Delvaux was introduced to Claude Spaak by his brother, the future Prime Minister of Belgium, Paul-Henri, who had shared classes with the artist at secondary school in Saint-Gilles. Claude Spaak was a leading member of the artistic scene in Brussels. Appointed the first director of the Société auxiliaire des expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles in 1929, this influential figure provided support and encouragement for the young artist throughout his career. It was at the Palais des Beaux-Arts - the magnificent art-deco edifice designed by Victor Horta and built in 1928 - that Delvaux was granted his first major solo exhibition in 1933. It was through the auspices of Spaak that Delvaux became acquainted with the two predominant artistic trends of the 1920s and 1930s. While the Expressionism espoused by James Ensor and Constant Permeke dominated contemporary Belgian art at the time, as is evidenced by some of Delvaux’s early works, Spaak introduced him to the Surrealist art of René Magritte. Although Delvaux was initially sceptical of his countryman’s extraordinary pictures, eventually the enigmatic tone of Magritte’s work impressed him greatly. Spaak’s leadership of the Palais des Beaux-Arts made a significant impact on Belgian art and culture at the time. By staging exhibitions of emerging artists such as Delvaux, Brussels became a centre for new artistic movements, most notably Surrealism. The following two lots are wonderfully indicative of both Spaak and Delvaux’s vivid imagination. They were commissioned by Claude Spaak to illustrate two of his own stories - L’Orage and Le Laid - which were first published in Le pays des miroirs. Contes et nouvelles in 1962. Delvaux depicts these two ghoulish stories with intricately drawn details and soft washes, and they perfectly express the psychological anxieties and ambiguities that are central to Spaak’s writing.

The mysterious images of Paul Delvaux are regarded as some of the most alluring examples of Surrealist Art. His works are renowned for their hallucinatory scenarios and dream-like imagery. Many of these pictures present a conventional domestic setting which is populated by enigmatic women, and undertones of other-worldly discord (fig. 1). In the drawings for Le Laid the subtle rendering of light and shade exemplifies the artist’s debt to traditional forms of representation.

In this story Spaak writes about a girl called Julie who lives with her grandmother and their unfortunate gardener who is known as Ugly Jack and is secretly in love with Julie. One evening Ugly Jack is walking home when he sees a strange old woman on the road who appears to have no face. This disturbing sight seems to Ugly Jack to herald the death of Julie’s grandmother, so he returns to his employers to warn them. Julie does not believe her gardener's tale, and insists that he leave, but Ugly Jack, concerned for his beloved’s welfare, locks all the doors and windows, and sets a fire in the drawing room’s hearth. It is at this moment that Julie hears the unnerving sounds of someone brushing against the walls and doorways and entering the drawing room through the window. Crouched in front of the fire Ugly Jack tells the alarmed Julie that it was only the moonlight and that he loved her, at which point he stands and moves towards the girl who faints in terror. In the morning she finds herself alone on the sofa covered by a blanket. She checks on her grandmother who is still alive but bears black marks on her neck as though someone had tried to strangle her. Julie’s first thought is that Ugly Jack was the culprit, however the local policeman and some villagers arrive at the house with the naked body of Ugly Jack who was said to have been found on the road the previous day. Julie then turns away from the body and around a corner sees Ugly Jack with the same black marks about his neck as those on her grandmother's.