Jean Dubuffet

Baudoin Lebon, Paris
Pace Gallery, New York
The Milton D. Ratner Family Collection, Chicago

Max Loreau, Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, fasc XIX: Paris Circus, Paris 1989, p. 184, no. 407, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The work is attached to a sheet of card along all four edges and in a few places elsewhere on the reverse. There is light wear, artist's pin holes and light creasing to all four corners. Upon very close inspection, there are a few minute drying cracks visible in some of the thicker areas of white pigment.
"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."

"Personally I am not interested in what is exceptional and this extends to all domains. I feed on the banal. The more banal a thing may be, the better it suits me. Luckily I do not consider myself exceptional in any way. In my paintings, I wish to recover the vision of an average and ordinary man, and, it is without using techniques beyond the grasp of an ordinary man...that I have tried to constitute great celebrations. Celebrations (or feasts) are much more highly prized when, instead of setting themselves apart on foreign soil...they occur in our everyday life. It is then that their virtue (to transform our daily life into a marvellous feast) is effective."

Jean Dubuffet quoted in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, The Solomon R Gugenheim Museum, Jean Dubuffet: A Retrospective, 1973, p. 15