Jean Dubuffet

PaceWildenstein, New York
Estate of Geraldine Spreckels Fuller, New York
Bequest to the present owner from the above in 1999

Max Loreau, ed., Catalogues des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, Fascicule XXXII, Théâtres de Mémoire, Lausanne, 1982, no. 40, p. 44, illustrated

This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of light wear and handlng around the edges. There is a slight undulation in the canvas. There are artist's pinholes and associated small losses in places around the edges and corners which appear inherent to the artist's working method. There is no evidence of restoration under ultraviolet light. Otherwise, there are no apparent condition problems with this work. Framed.
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.

In 1974, Jean Dubuffet began to work on Théâtres de mémoire, a series of collages made from thousands of cut up images and pieces of paper that he organized with magnets on large metal sheets around his studio before pasting onto canvas. Dubuffet employed this pastiche technique for Théâtres de mémoire in order to simulate the effect of memory, remembering bits and pieces or an overall impression, rather than specific details. He described this method as "more equivocal, more indeterminate, more general...more abstract" (Jean Dubuffet, Catalogue des travaux de Jean Dubuffet: Théâtres de mémoire, p. 10).

Le Malentendu from 1976 is an enchanting assemblage from this series that combines bright patches of primary color in an unorthodox portrait of three figures. The vivid colors, rough brushstrokes, and alarmed expressions on the figures' faces create a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety. The work's title, which translates from French to "the misunderstanding," references the 1943 text by Albert Camus of the same appellation. Camus' story tells of a man who returns to his home after many years to find his mother and sister making a living by killing innocent lodgers staying with them. Because the protagonist has been away for so many years, his family does not recognize him and subsequently murders him, believing him to be an anonymous visitor.

This dark parable casts an overwhelmingly pessimistic attitude towards human nature and perpetuates the primary philosophy to which Camus subscribed: existentialism. Throughout the Nazi occupation of France, the backdrop against which Camus wrote Le Malentendu, a sentiment of unrest, claustrophobia, futility, and injustice infiltrated daily life. Simone de Beauvoir, another adherent to existentialism, writes, "Existentialism, struggling to reconcile history and mortality, authorized them to accept their transitory condition without renouncing a certain absolute, to face horror and absurdity while still retaining their dignity..." (Simone de Beauvoir, Catalogue of "Paris Post War," p. 18).

By precisely alluding to Camus' existentialist text in the title of this collage, Dubuffet creates a visual théâtre de mémoire that attempts to capture the Zeitgeist of the existentialist era from his own, perhaps fuzzy and distant, memory. We are able to identify three distinct figures in Le Malentendu, likely the son, mother and sister, but the overall effect is blurry and undefined, as a visual "misunderstanding." Dubuffet suggests, "these paintings were intended to challenge the objective nature of Being...[which] is merely a projection of our minds, a whim of our thinking," (Mildred Glimcher and Jean Dubuffet, Jean Dubuffet: Towards an Alternative Reality, p. 22).