Jean Metzinger

Galerie L'Effort Moderne, Léonce Rosenberg, Paris
Galerie Melki, Paris
Acquis du précédent dans les années 1970 par le propriétaire actuel

Iowa City, The University of Iowa Museum of Arts, Jean Metzinger in retrospect (catalogue d'exposition), 1985, reproduit p. 67

The canvas is not lined. There are some very thin stable craquelures mostly in the white area, as visible in the catalogue illustration. Apart from a few scattered minor spots of retouching along the edges and at the corners, and some minimal pin head sized spots towards the bottom of the oval, this work is in very good condition. Colours: slightly more subtle and overall softer in the original - the background (surrounding the oval) is less brown and more silver in the actual work.
"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.
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signed 'Metzinger' and dated '1919' (lower), oil on canvas. Painted in 1919.

''Son art de plus en plus abstrait mais toujours agréable aborde et tâche de résoudre les problèmes les plus difficiles et les plus imprévus de l'esthétique. Chacune de ses oeuvres renferme un jugement sur l'univers et son oeuvre entier ressemble au firmament nocturne quand il est pur de tout nuage et qu'il y tremble d'adorables lueurs'' (Guillaume Apollinaire, Les Peintres cubistes)

Femme à l'éventail dans un ovale est l'un des chefs-d'oeuvres de la courte période après-guerre où Metzinger compose ses dernières réalisations véritablement cubistes, soutenu alors par son nouveau contrat avec la galerie de L'Effort moderne de Léonce Rosemberg, son nouveau marchand. Metzinger emprunte à son ami Juan Gris - auquel il rend une longue visite à Beaulieu en 1918 - son célèbre effet de bois ainsi qu'une composition cubisante dans la forme arrondie et classique de l'ovale. Le cubisme est ainsi réconcilié avec des effets de perspective puissants, un équilibre chromatique enchanteur et une part inhabituelle de jeu sur les formes : l'éventail de la femme se confond avec un archet glissant sur un violoncelle dissimulé sous les plis de la robe. La ville en arrière plan peut évoquer New York, que Metzinger avait visitée en 1918 lors de sa participation à l'exposition des Artistes indépendants au Grand Central Palace.  

 

"His increasingly abstract but always enjoyable art approaches and attempts to resolve the most difficult and unpredictable problems of aesthetics. Each of his works reinforces a view of the universe and his entire body of work resembles a cloudless night sky with a delightful, flickering glow" (Guillaume Apollinaire, Les Peintres cubistes).

Femme à l'éventail dans un ovale is one of the masterpieces from the brief post-war period during which Metzinger created his last truly Cubist compositions, supported by a new contract with the gallery L'Effort moderne, run by the dealer Léonce Rosemberg. The artist borrowed from his friend Juan Gris – whom he had visited at length in Beaulieu in 1918 – his celebrated wooden effect as well as the idea of creating a Cubist composition within the classic rounded form of an oval.  He thus combined Cubism with powerful effects of perspective, an enchantingly harmonious palette and an unusual play of forms: the woman's fan is confounded with a bow stroking a violin concealed in the folds of her skirt. The urban landscape in the background could evoke New York as Metzinger had visited the city in 1918 when he participated in the exhibition of independent artists at Grand Central Palace.