Louis Marcoussis

Galerie Guénégaud, Paris
Sale: Briest Scp., Paris, June 20, 1995, lot 48
Acquired at the above sale

Jean Lafranchis, Marcoussis, sa vie, son oeuvre. Catalogue complet des peintures, fixés sur verre, aquarelles, dessins, gravures, Paris, 1961, no. P. 110, illustrated p. 256

Work is in very good condition. Canvas is not lined. Some frame rubbing with a few associated pindot losses around extreme edges of canvas. Surface is very slightly dirty. Under UV light: scatteres strokes of inpainting to extreme edges to address prior frame abrasion, as well as two small dots of retouching at the base of the goblet at right. Otherwise fine.
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.

 "With his painting Marcoussis gave to cubism colors that were bright and alive, less because of his taste for such colors, than in order to infuse his works with that light, that in his own words was 'the only real mystery in painting'"(Jean Lafranchis, Marcoussis, Paris, 1961, p. 115, translated from the French). As well as being a wonderful manifestation of the artist's love for vibrant color, the present work is a testament to his aptitude for capturing the nuances of the more typically Cubist tertiary palette. Lafranchis remarks upon the way in which the artist travels from the purest white to the most absolute black "passing through the entire spectrum of greys, which render the whites even whiter than the white of the paper itself and the blacks even richer [...] a chiaroscuro whose effect is to render certain forms truly luminous, the chiaroscuro of Rembrandt" (ibid.).