Lot 104
  • 104

Rita Letendre b.1929

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 CAD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Rita Letendre
  • Le Cri
  • signed and dated lower right R.Letendre '62; signed, titled and dated by the artist on the reverse
  • oil on canvas
  • 40.6 by 50.8 cm.
  • 16 by 20 in.

Provenance

Private Collection, Quebec

Literature

Roald Nasgaard and Ray Ellenwood, The Automatiste Revolution, Varley Art Gallery, 2009, p. 79

Condition

This work is in excellent condition with no apparent issues under UV. It has recently been cleaned.
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.

Catalogue Note

The tendency among the Automatistes from the beginning of the 1950's was to relinquish the appearance of spontaneity in order to emphasize deliberate structure. Of all the members, perhaps Riopelle and Ferron remained the most loyal to their principles. Nasgaard comments:

By 1960, Letendre had learned to reapply the Automatiste's palette-knife gesture, expanding it into thick slabs of black and flamelike bursts of colour, deployed with dramatic expressiveness...

In this work, one gets the full sense of the dramatic turbulence in nature, intensified by the brighter colours pushing, as if seeking freedom. Hence the title - Le Cri.