Victor Brauner

André Breton, Paris (vente : Calmels Cohen, Paris, 15 avril 2003, lot 4130)
Acquis lors de cette vente par le propriétaire actuel

M. Montagne, L'Œuvre graphique de Victor Brauner (1903-1966), Etude et Catalogue du Fonds d'atelier conservé au Musée d'Art Moderne de Saint Etienne, Thèse de doctorat d'histoire, mention 'Histoire de l'Art', sous la direction du professeur Dario Gamboni, vol. 1bis, Lyon, Université Lyon II, 1998, no. 805, illustré n. p.

The canvas is not lined. There are two white hairlines visible in the catalogue illustration: one running along the upper part of the right edge and another one running along the right part of the lower edge. There are some scatterred very minor paint losses in the black background. The varnish on the back blackground is uneven which is inherent to the artistic process. This work is in very good original 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."

signed 'V.B'. and dated 'VI. 1958' (lower right), oil on canvas. Painted in 1958. 

Les arts d'Afrique, d'Océanie et Précolombiens ont fasciné les avant-gardes artistiques tout au long du XXème siècle pour la dimension esthétique de leurs œuvres. Loin de se contenter de ce répertoire formel, Victor Brauner, qui possédait une collection de pièces d'art primitif, s'intéressa quant à lui à la signification et à la dimension rituelle de ces œuvres, enrichissant ses peintures de leurs symboles chargés de sens.

Ces œuvres sont souvent un syncrétisme de divers mythes et éléments égyptiens, précolombiens et africains. Dans Invitation au vol  Brauner combine l`oiseau, le corps féminin et les masques primitives dans un ensemble hybride qui évoque lui même les masques africains. Il est cependant difficile de déterminer avec précision les sources iconographiques de Brauner. Si des influences se ressentent, elles se mélangent avec le vocabulaire visuel fantastique issu de l'imagination de l'artiste.

Dès 1934 Breton n'a pas manqué de souligner de quelle "grande et primitive inquiétude" sont issus les "personnages" de Brauner: " Le désir et la peur président en effet, par excellence, au jeu qu'ils mènent avec nous, dans le cercle visuel très inquiétant ou l'apparition lutte crépusculairement avec l'apparence. [...] Cette période de son œuvre nous apporte le témoignage incontestablement le plus lucide de cette époque, elle seule est tout appréhension du temps qui va venir, de loin elle doit passer pour la plus historiquement située". (André Breton, Le Surréalisme et la peinture, Paris, 1965, pp. 122 & 126).

De multiples lectures de la toile sont alors possibles ce qui revalorise celle-ci aux yeux de Brauner pour qui une œuvre est inutile et de peu d'importance en comparaison de peintures ou objets rituels qui ont vocation de protection.

 

 

In the Surrealist tradition, artists were fascinated by the primitive arts of African, Mesoamerican, Native American, and Oceanic cultures. Most artists used these ancient artefacts as direct aesthetic influences. Refusing to stop at the formal level, Victor Brauner, who had an important collection of primitive art pieces, delved further into the ceremonial meaning of these objects in an effort to incorporate their original cultural significance into his work.

His talismanic and unique creations are often the result of a combination of Egyptian religious symbols, Mesoamerican style and even African masks. In the present work, Invitation au vol, Brauner unites the image of a bird with that of a female figure as well as primitive masks to form a hybrid entity which is itself evocative of African masks. It is however difficult to determine the precise iconographic sources of Brauner, as these influences are mixed with the fantastic visual vocabulary that issues from the mind of the artist.

From 1934 onwards, André Breton had always emphasised to what extent Brauner's "charcters" were derived from "a large and primitive anxiety": "In fact, desire and fear preside, above all, in the game they play with us, in the restlessness of the visual circle where apparition is in endless battle with appearance. [...] This period of his work is without doubt the most lucid testimony of the time, it alone anticipates the entirety of what is to come, it is by far that which should be considered the most historically situated." (André Breton, Le Surréalisme et la peinture, Paris, 1965, pp. 122 & 126).

The many possible readings of his work held a great importance for Brauner, for whom a simple work of art was relatively useless when compared with ritual objects that traditionally have important protective powers.