Paul Klee

Lily Klee, Bern (acquired in 1940)
Klee-Gesellschaft, Bern (acquired in 1946)
Curt Valentin Gallery, New York (acquired in 1951)
Sale: Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, November 11, 1959, lot 21
William Rand, New York (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie’s, New York, February 19, 1998, lot 31)
Acquired at the above sale

Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Paul Klee, Neue Werke, 1940, no. 64

Oeuvre-Katalog Klee, 1939, no. 389 (A9)
The Paul Klee Foundation & Museum of Fine Arts, Bern, eds., Paul Klee Catalogue Raisonné 1939, vol. VIII, Bern, 2004, no. 8094, illustrated p. 193

Executed on cream wove paper mounted on paper by the artist. The mount is hinged to a mat near the upper corners on the verso. There is a 1.5 inch mat stain with associated skinning around the perimeter of the artist's mount, suggesting it had previously been adhered to a window mat and then removed. Both the sheet and the mount are undulating throughout due to the thickly applied medium. The colors are extremely bright and fresh and the work is in very good condition.
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.

Klee was a naturally talented draftsman but is said to have once struggled with the use of color. As a result he began to conduct experiments, a practice which would largely define his career, and he went on to lecture at the Bauhaus and write extensively on color theory, delving into the scientific behavior of light and pigment. His notes are now considered a preeminent resource for color theory in modern art and have been published in English as the Paul Klee Notebooks.

With Praetendent, Klee skillfully combines the three primary colors with strong black strokes to delineate them. “In his late style the line itself became painterly, by virtue of its flat, thickly brushed quality. There was no longer any conflict to reconcile… Line was no longer merely a guest in a color field or a superimposition on a precomposed color theme. Line could now dictate the order, structure, and modulation of colors” (Andrew Kagan, Paul Klee at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1993, p. 46).