- 318
Jean Hélion
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
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Description
- Jean Hélion
- Abstraction (frise)
- Signed Hélion, numbered (n. 186) and dated 1er Janvier, 4 Avril, 20 Oct., 1939 (on the reverse)
- Oil on canvas
- 17 1/8 by 70 7/8 in.
- 43.5 by 180 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, United States (acquired directly from the artist circa 1945)
Thence by descent
Thence by descent
Exhibited
Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, Jean Hélion, Abstract Paintings, 1943
Condition
The canvas has not been lined. Very faint but stable lines of cracking in some places, most noticeable in the yellow and white colored pigments, as well as a small area of impact craquelure within the dark green pigment. Very minor frame abrasion is visible to very extreme outer edges of composition. Pin-dot loss is visible to the bottom-left edge of the blue pigment at top-right. Faint stretcher marks visible toward the outer edges of composition. Under UV light: certain pigments fluoresce and a few small, scattered spots of possible retouching are visible though an uneven layer of varnish is difficult to read through.
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 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.
Catalogue Note
Hélion began experimenting with abstract forms in 1929, adopting much of the abstract visual vocabulary of Mondrian and the de Stijl movement. Along with Théo van Doesburg, Hélion founded the relatively short-lived Art Concret, a movement which later expanded and melded with the Abstraction-Création association, a group that counted Arp, Gleizes, Herbin and Delaunay among its members. As a tireless proponent of abstract art, Hélion travelled to London where he met Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson in 1934. Between 1935 and 1939 he also travelled to the United States, where he was credited with influencing Gorky, de Kooning and other abstract painters with his radical style and philosophical notions of art.
The present work reflects Mondrian's influence, however by the late 1930s Hélion had crafted his own distinct brand of abstraction, most notable for its incorporation of rounded, volumetric forms and delicate variations of color. According to the artist, "Mondrian, whom I always admired but could not agree with, based his expressions on a reduction of means and the elimination of particularized representation. He used to say to me, 'We are not of the same tradition—you are a Naturalist.' Even as early as 1935 he 'accused' me of belonging to the French naturalist tradition'' (as quoted in "Eleven Europeans in America," The Museum of Modern Art Bulletin, vol. XIII, nos. 4-5, New York, 1946, p. 29).
The present work reflects Mondrian's influence, however by the late 1930s Hélion had crafted his own distinct brand of abstraction, most notable for its incorporation of rounded, volumetric forms and delicate variations of color. According to the artist, "Mondrian, whom I always admired but could not agree with, based his expressions on a reduction of means and the elimination of particularized representation. He used to say to me, 'We are not of the same tradition—you are a Naturalist.' Even as early as 1935 he 'accused' me of belonging to the French naturalist tradition'' (as quoted in "Eleven Europeans in America," The Museum of Modern Art Bulletin, vol. XIII, nos. 4-5, New York, 1946, p. 29).