Emil Filla

Mánes Group show, no. 454 (label on reverse)
Sale: Auktionshaus J. Weiner, Munich, 15 May 1991, lot 13a
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

The canvas is original and has been nailed to a key-wooden stretcher that appears to be from the period. Four thin wooden batons have been nailed around the stretcher. With the exception of some spots of retouching visible under ultra-violet light in the extreme four corners of the canvas, possibly addressing some old flaking, this work is very good original condition and ready to hang. Presented in a silver floating frame.
"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."

Emil Filla was at the epicentre of the avant-garde in Bohemia, and it is predominantly as a result of his impact that Prague has come to be recognised as the second most important centre for Cubism after Paris.

Following extensive travels across the continent, he pioneered an idiosyncratic Czech national style at the confluence of European modern art movements. This so-called ‘Cubo-Expressionism’ synthesised the troubled spiritual atmosphere of central Europe, as exemplified by Edvard Munch and the Die Brücke artists, with the pictorial structure of the Paris Cubists. It soon became the hallmark of the group Osma (the Eight) and the Group of Fine Artists, co-founded by Filla in 1911.

By the end of the 1920s, Filla had joined the S.V.U. Mánes group and was adopting a more orthodox Cubist technique to deconstruct the surrounding world, evident in Still Life with Guitar. In such works, the artist moves away from the metaphysical and focuses on expressing his affinity for the concrete and physical realm.

Although unlike its French counterpart Czech Cubism often touched on religious and symbolist themes, the present work, which is related to the important frescoes by the artist in Mánes, Prague, is very Parisian in subject matter. The guitar, one of the most recurring motifs in Filla’s still-lifes, immediately attracts the viewer’s attention in the top right corner with a double shadow in black and olive. Next to it, there is a bowl of fruit with grapes and what might be a part of a newspaper in front of it on the table. The remaining shapes have become mere reminders of objects in a painting that verges on the abstract, displaying harmony of form and colour.