Marcel Janco

Overall in good condition. There is scattered paint loss mainly in the upper right quarter of the work as well as a few minor scratches and abrasions. No retouching is apparent when viewed under ultra violet light.
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.

The present work comes from the collection of the late Abba and Suzy Eban. Abba Eban, a linguist and exceptional orator, was one of Israel's most influential statesmen, serving as a diplomat, member of the Knesset, ambassador to the United States and permanent representative to the United Nations. Among other successes, Eban also acted as President of the Weizmann Institute of Science. In 2001, he was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State. His wife, Suzy was born in Egypt and spent her youth in Cairo. The two met during the Second World War when Abba Eban was a British Army intelligence officer stationed in Cairo. They married in 1943 and settled in Eretz Israel. Mrs. Eban worked tirelessly on behalf of the Israel Cancer Association. From 1950 to 1998 Eban functioned as the association's founding president. 

Painted in 1931, this exceptional early work by Janco depicts a classic subject in the revolutionary manner of the Dada style. The still life emphasizes vivid color, assertive angles and bold contours, all integral to the Dada idiom.

Born in Bucharest in 1895, Janco devoted himself to painting from an early age. In 1915 he studied architecture at the Polytechnical School in Zurich where he established contacts with artists and writers including Jean Arp and Tristan Tzara. In the face of World War I, these artists found inspiration in tribal art and naive children's art, and together founded the Dada movement in 1916. By 1920, the founders moved to Paris, where the movement evolved into Surrealism; Janco returned to Romaina by 1922,where he founded the first Romanian modernist movement Contemporanul in 1923. From 1924-30 he exhibited with Contemporanul, along with Arp, Brancusi, Klee, and Schwitters. In 1931, the year of this work, Janco participated in the first group showing of abstract art in Paris at the Galerie Renaissance.