Max Ernst

Estate of the artist
Acquired from the above circa 1991

Werner Spies, Sigrid & Günter Metken, Max Ernst, Oeuvre-Katalog, Werke 1939-1953, Cologne, 1976, no. 2310, illustration of another version p. 4
Günter Metken, Max Ernsts Haus in Saint-Martin d'Ardèche, 1974, p. 90

Grayish green patina. Richly textured surface. Tope edges of all forms show patina loss, likely due to exposure to the elements. Staining at top of base particularly around the central support. There are a few minor nicks to the base, otherwise work is in good condition.
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.

In 1938, Max Ernst left the Surrealist Group in Paris and moved, with author and artist Leonora Carrington, to Saint-Martin d'Ardèche, near Pont Saint-Esprit, about fifty kilometers north of Avignon. The two bought a house there and Ernst set to work decorating his new home with a series of murals and bas-reliefs executed in cement (see fig. 1). Ernst spent over a year restoring and decorating his bucolic new retreat, and his anthropomorphic creations at Saint-Martin d'Ardèche reveal a profoundly imaginative vocabulary of recurring images and figures. Though the evidence of his involvement in both the Dada and Surrealist movements are resonant in these works, there is a wholly personal evolution that leads to their genesis.

Originally fashioned in cement on the exterior of the Saint-Martin d'Ardèche home, L'Entrée des fantomes incorporates the artist's personal lexicon of imagery with a notable emphasis on the influences of primitive and tribal art. The composition recalls the structure of a tribal totem pole and the figure reveals a simplification of form similar to early Cycladic sculpture and Native American art. Examples of such artifacts were omnipresent at World Fairs and in private collections throughout Europe, and Ernst was exposed to this imagery through his own personal collecting (see fig. 2). The influences from these works reverberate through the oeuvres of master Modern sculptors such as Brancusi, Picasso and Giacometti. Ernst's appropriation of this trend provided an individual and fresh interpretation. Much of his later work in sculpture incorporates these influences and L'Entrée des fantomes is an outstanding example of his ability to combine this intellectual nod to artistic precedent with a playful and imaginative sensibility.