André Masson

Galerie Simon, Paris
Collection particulière, Italie (acquis vers 1975)

 

Chicago, Richard Feingen Gallery, A. Masson, Rétrospective, 1961, non reproduit dans le catalogue
Paris, Galeries nationales d'exposition du Grand Palais ; New York, Museum of Modern Art, André Masson, 1976-77, reproduit en couleur p. 153

Jean-Claude Clébert, Mythologie d'André Masson, Genève, 1971, reproduit p. 135 N & B
Christa Lichtestern, Die Wirkungsgeschichte Der Metamorphosenlehre Goethes, 1990, no. 61, reproduit p. 135 

The canvas is not lined. Under UV light, there is no evidence of retouching. The work is in excellent 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 'André Masson', dated '1940' and titled 'Portrait de Goethe' (upper left), oil on canvas. Painted in 1940.

Cet extraordinaire portrait du grand poète allemand est l'un des exemples les plus accomplis des Portraits imaginaires peints par André Masson à partir de 1938. Parmi Héraclite, Dante, Hôlderlin, Nerval, Rimbaud ou Nietzsche, Goethe est incontestablement la figure qui inspirera à l'artiste ses visions les plus originales et les plus fortes. On retrouve en effet le portrait de Goethe dans quatre autres compositions peintes entre 1940 et 1942 : Goethe et la métamorphose des plantes (fig. 1), Etude pour un portrait de Goethe tous deux conservés à l'Israel Museum de Jerusalem,  Goethe écoutant la voix de la nature et Goethe et la théorie des couleurs. "Je relisais beaucoup Goethe à cette époque, surtout le Goethe secret, le Goethe érotique... le Goethe du Serpent vert, ce conte alchimique" rappelle Masson (cité dans Jean-Paul Clébert, Mythologie d'André Masson, Genève, Cailler, 1971, p. 55).

Masson voyait en Goethe l'incarnation par excellence de ce qu'il conceptualise comme "L'Homme emblématique", le voyant dont l'intelligence n'est pas le fruit d'une logique cartésienne pure mais de la contemplation de la Nature et de l'intuition du merveilleux cher aux surréalistes. Afin d'illustrer toutes les dimensions du génie de Goethe, Masson mélange les signes de plusieurs langages : celui de la Nature comme le minéral qui forme l'œil gauche du poète, la feuille végétale où se termine l'habit ou la plante qui pousse sur la joue droite ; et celui de la géométrie ou de la raison humaine tel le polyèdre multicolore qui sort de l'œil gauche et qui semble représenter la pierre philosophale contenant les secrets cachés de la couleur et de la vie organique, secrets auxquels Goethe consacra lui-aussi beaucoup de ses travaux. Masson se sentait d'immenses affinités avec Goethe et le portrait qu'il en dresse s'offre comme une véritable profession de foi du peintre, quelque temps avant de quitter la France en guerre pour se réfugier aux Etats-Unis.

 

This extraordinary portrait of the great German poet is one of the most accomplished of the Imaginary Portraits painted by André Masson beginning in 1938. Out of Héraclite, Dante, Hölderlin, Nerval, Rimbaud and Nietzsche, Goethe is undeniably the figure who inspired the artist to his most memorable and powerful visions.  The figure of Goethe in fact appears in four other compositions painted between 1940 and 1942: Goethe et la métamorphose des plantes (fig. 1), Etude pour un portrait de Goethe both housed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem,  Goethe écoutant la voix de la nature and Goethe et la théorie des couleurs.  "I was re-reading a lot of Goethe at that time, especially the secret Goethe, the erotic Goethe ... the Goethe of the Green Serpent, the alchemist tale" Masson later recalled (cited in Jean-Paul Clébert, Mythologie d'André Masson, Genève, Cailler, 1971, p. 55).

Masson saw in Goethe the quintessential incarnation of what he conceptualised as "The Emblematic Man", the visionary for whom intelligence is not acquired through Cartesian pure logic but through the contemplation of Nature and that instinct for the sublime that was so dear to the Surrealists.  In order to illustrate all of the dimensions of Goethe's genius, Masson mixes symbols from different languages: symbols from Nature like the mineral forming the poet's left eye, the vegetable leaf at the tip of his cloak or the plant growing on his right cheek; and symbols from geometry or human reason such as the multicoloured polyhedron emerging from the left eye which seems to represent the philosopher's stone containing the hidden mysteries of colour and organic life, mysteries to which Goethe too devoted many of his works. Masson felt a great affinity with Goethe and his portrait of him reads like a veritable profession of devotion on the part of the painter, shortly before he left wartime France to seek refuge in the United States.