Jean Dubuffet

Albert Lewin Collection, New York
Private Collection, London
Sale: Christie’s, New York, Post-War and Contemporary Art , 13 November 2002, Lot 64
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Fantastic Landscape, 1954-56
Valencia, Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, Fire Under the Ashes, 2005
Paris, Fondation Dina Vierny - Musée Maillol, Le Feu sous les Cendres (de Picasso à Basquiat), 2005-06
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Ein Leben im Laufschritt - Retrospektive, 2009

Max Loreau, Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, fasc. I: Paris Circus, Paris 1966, p. 169, no. 319, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although it fails to convey the bright green highlights present in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of wear and light frame rubbing with some associated minute and unobtrusive specks of loss in a few places to the extreme outer edges, which is only noticeable when the work is unframed. There are a few fine hairline cracks to the superficial layer of paint towards the upper centre of the composition. The canvas appears to have been relined. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
"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."

“My feeling tells me that pictures done effortlessly and quickly, without artifice – like children’s pictures – make an impression just as strong as, or even stronger than, pictures from the cultural field, and, above all, that they may contain quite unexpected things and can open up new avenues of thought.”

JEAN DUBUFFET
quoted in: Exhibition Catalogue, Bilbao, Guggenheim Bilbao, Jean Dubuffet: Trace of an Adventure, 2004, p. 50