Paul-Émile Borduas 1905 - 1960

Waddington and Gorce Inc., Montreal

Private Collection, Montreal

François-Marc Gagnon, Paul-Émile Borduas, Ottawa, 1976, pp. 25-26

Overall this work is in very good condition and there are no apparent issues when examined under UV. The heavy impasto has caused slight pulling of the canvas when viewed from the back. There are fine hairline striations and craquellure in the areas of white paint in the mid to upper left, in the centre and in the mid to lower right of the canvas. Deeper craquellure is evident in the black pigment in the upper right, lower right and to the lower left. All of this is consistent with Borduas' paitnings and is stable. We thank the conservators at In Restauro for their assistance in examining this work, and their original notes are available upon request.
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.

Painted in 1956, Composition represents a moment of transition in Borduas' oeuvre.  Unlike the hard shapes of the black and white paintings typically associated with his Paris period, he has deliberately rendered movement of pigment with his palette knife, creating a very active, though spare, composition.  This work, like others from the spring and summer of 1956, is built out of expanses of white that would become Borduas' trademarks.  In response to a letter from Jean-René Ostiguy in 1956, Borduas declared that his pictures had become whiter and whiter, more and more 'objective'.

In September of 1956, Borduas left Paris to spend time in Italy and Sicily.  Shortly before his departure, the National Gallery of Canada purchased Seagull directly from his studio and Martha Jackson, a New York dealer, purchased 9 other canvases, of which this magnificent painting is likely one.