ARTHUR SEGAL | Der Sündenfall

Private collection, Paris
Sale: Christie's, London, Impressionist and Modern Art, 5 February 2009, lot 417
Natalie Seroussi, Paris (acquired in this sale)

Paris, Galerie Michel Rein, Talkie Walkie, 2013

Executed on burlap. The canvas is lined. Examination under UV light reveals no evidence of retouching. There are a few thin lines of craquelure, most predominately to the most thickly applied pigment. There are a few dots of paint losses, possibly original, notably to the lower right corner. There are a few scattered fly spots and some light frame rubbing along the extreme edges. Artist's frame: Examination under UV light reveals a few dots and lines of retouching in places, notably along the extreme edges. Extreme edges are slightly scuffed with associated paint losses. There are a few further paint losses and small scratches in places. This work is in overall 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. 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."

Of Rumanian origin, Arthur Segal arrived in Germany in 1892. At this period, under the influence of Van Gogh and Munch, he exhibited violent, colourful and expressionist works alongside paintings by artists from the Die Brücke movement such as Nolde, Heckel, Kirchner and Pechstein. It was naturally in 1910, that he took part in the foundation of the Neue Secession. In 1912, Segal  discovered Robert Delaunay’s works exhibited at the Der Sturm Gallery in Berlin, manifestation of the revue of the same name that published the theories and works of all European avant-gardes. During the war and like many artists who flocked from all over Europe, this older son of a wealthy Jewish family found refuge in Switzerland. In Zurich, where the Dada movement was born, founded by Hugo Ball and Marcel Janco, the walls of the Cabaret Voltaire were covered by expressionist, futurist and cubist works. Segal presented his works there with Arp. This turbulent period was an intense time of psychological and artistic fermentation, and was particularly decisive for Segal. In 1917, before even the end of the war, his work developed towards a new original style that the critics quickly qualified as "cubo-futurist". The paintings from this time are divided into a framework of equal square or rectangular parts. Segal combined these geometrical reflections with a study on alternating colours. Prolonging his constructive and optical research into the margins of the frame that is part of the work, Segal delivered a veritable masterpiece with Sünddenfall. Dated 1920, this work with the title "Expulsion from Paradise" is all the more astounding because paradoxically it was produced at a time when the conflict was ending. A cultural scholar, Segal experienced the war as the disaster of Humanity. Beyond the exaltation of its plastic and chromatic experiments, Der Sünddenfall  can be seen as a major counterpoint to Zweig’s thoughts who had the courage to write in his foreword to the Monde d’hier: "Against my will I was the witness to the most dreadful  defeat of reason and the most savage triumph of brutality of all time. Never – and I do not say it with pride but with shame – has a generation such as ours fallen from such high spiritual elevation to such moral decadence."