- 124
GEORGES ROUAULT | Pierrot
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 GBP
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Description
- Georges Rouault
- Pierrot
- signed G. Rouault (lower right)
- oil on paper laid down on canvas
- 68.3 by 55.6cm., 26 7/8 by 21 7/8 in.
- Painted in 1937-38.
Provenance
Stephen Hahn, New York
George & Hilde Hofrichter, USA (acquired from the above by the 1970s)
Thence by descent to the present owner
George & Hilde Hofrichter, USA (acquired from the above by the 1970s)
Thence by descent to the present owner
Condition
Oil on paper laid down on canvas. Examination under UV light reveals a thick and opaque varnish preventing the light form fully penetrating, however there appear to be no signs of retouching. There is inherent paint shrinkage to the black pigment throughout the composition and the paper is gently undulating. There are areas of stable craqueleur including to the figure's left ear and within the right shoulder. Overall this 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. 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
'I'm Pierrot,' said David Bowie, 'I'm Everyman.' Jean Rook, 'Waiting for Bowie and Finding A Genius Who Insists He's Really a Clown' in Daily Express, 5th May 1976
Painted in 1937-38, Pierrot is a superb example of one of Georges Rouault's most expressive and beloved series. Inspired by Ambroise Vollard, who had commissioned him to make etchings and woodcuts for the book Cirque de l'étoile filante (published in 1938), Rouault’s interest in the world of the circus found its greatest outlet in his art during the 1930s. Rouault was particularly drawn to the clown Pierrot and his expressive potential as a subject for portraiture. A pensive and melancholy stock character from the Commedia dell'Arte who pines for the love of Columbine, in the 19th Century the character of Pierrot was lifted out of this circumscribed world and into the larger realm of myth. Popularised in depictions by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Max Beckmann, Paul Klee and Jacques Lipchitz, as well as Rouault, the figure of Pierrot became an alter-ego for the artist; an alienated, avant-garde philosopher fraught with existential anguish and scarred by amorous disappointments.
For Rouault, these nomadic clowns represented innocence, soulful sensitivity and naiveté, and were a release from his focus on the darker images of life. His series of Pierrot portraits is marked by an emotional immediacy that is unique both within his œuvre and the spectrum of Modern art. Lionello Venturi writes, ‘When he paints clowns, the grotesque becomes amiable, even lovable [...] colours grow rich and resplendent, almost as if the artist, laying aside his crusader's arms for a moment, were relaxing in the light of the sun and letting it flood into his work’ (Lionello Venturi, Rouault, Lausanne, 1959, pp. 21 & 51).
In the present work, Rouault combats the potential frivolity of the clown as a subject with a Cloisonnist style in which both the figure and the stage set with red curtains behind him are built up using thick sweeping strokes of impasto in jewel-like colours and delineated with bold black outlines. Evoking the imagery and feel of a traditional stained glass, Rouault's Pierrot is thus imbued with a profound and spiritual depth. Rouault employs boundless expressionist brushstrokes that add his quintessential texture and deconstruct forms to the very edge of abstraction.
The present work has remained in the collection of the Hofrichter family since its acquisition in the early 1970s. Distinguished collectors with an eye for quality, George and Hilde Hofrichter enjoyed a close personal and business relationship with Stephen Hahn, from whom they also acquired stellar works by Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning and Jean Dubuffet.
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Fondation Georges Rouault.
Painted in 1937-38, Pierrot is a superb example of one of Georges Rouault's most expressive and beloved series. Inspired by Ambroise Vollard, who had commissioned him to make etchings and woodcuts for the book Cirque de l'étoile filante (published in 1938), Rouault’s interest in the world of the circus found its greatest outlet in his art during the 1930s. Rouault was particularly drawn to the clown Pierrot and his expressive potential as a subject for portraiture. A pensive and melancholy stock character from the Commedia dell'Arte who pines for the love of Columbine, in the 19th Century the character of Pierrot was lifted out of this circumscribed world and into the larger realm of myth. Popularised in depictions by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Max Beckmann, Paul Klee and Jacques Lipchitz, as well as Rouault, the figure of Pierrot became an alter-ego for the artist; an alienated, avant-garde philosopher fraught with existential anguish and scarred by amorous disappointments.
For Rouault, these nomadic clowns represented innocence, soulful sensitivity and naiveté, and were a release from his focus on the darker images of life. His series of Pierrot portraits is marked by an emotional immediacy that is unique both within his œuvre and the spectrum of Modern art. Lionello Venturi writes, ‘When he paints clowns, the grotesque becomes amiable, even lovable [...] colours grow rich and resplendent, almost as if the artist, laying aside his crusader's arms for a moment, were relaxing in the light of the sun and letting it flood into his work’ (Lionello Venturi, Rouault, Lausanne, 1959, pp. 21 & 51).
In the present work, Rouault combats the potential frivolity of the clown as a subject with a Cloisonnist style in which both the figure and the stage set with red curtains behind him are built up using thick sweeping strokes of impasto in jewel-like colours and delineated with bold black outlines. Evoking the imagery and feel of a traditional stained glass, Rouault's Pierrot is thus imbued with a profound and spiritual depth. Rouault employs boundless expressionist brushstrokes that add his quintessential texture and deconstruct forms to the very edge of abstraction.
The present work has remained in the collection of the Hofrichter family since its acquisition in the early 1970s. Distinguished collectors with an eye for quality, George and Hilde Hofrichter enjoyed a close personal and business relationship with Stephen Hahn, from whom they also acquired stellar works by Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning and Jean Dubuffet.
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Fondation Georges Rouault.