Jean Dubuffet

Galerie Beyeler, Basel
James Goodman Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Belgium
Sotheby's, London, March 24, 1993, lot 314
Michael Cohen, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2000

Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou; Basel, Galerie Beyeler; New York, Pace Gallery, Jean Dubuffet: Paysages castillans, Sites tricolores, February - October 1975, cat. no. 42 (Paris) and 19 (Basel and New York), illustrated
Chur, Switzerland, Bündner Kunstmuseum, Dubuffet: Werkauswahl 1945-1975, March - April 1977, cat. no. 19, illustrated
Kunsthaus Zug, Jean Dubuffet: Bilder, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen aus dreissig Jahren, January - March 1983
New York, Weintraub Gallery, Jean Dubuffet: Paintings and Sculpture, April - May 1984
New York, James Goodman Gallery, Summer 1984
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Jean Dubuffet: Retrospektive, October 1985 - January 1986, cat. no. 34
Berlin, Galerie Michael Haas, Jean Dubuffet: 1901-1985, September - November 1987, cat. no. 19, illustrated in color
Montreal, Landau Beaux Arts, Qui rassemble la foule...la captive, October - November 1988
Basel, Art 21'90 Basel, Die Internationale Kunstmesse: Kunst des 20 Jahrhunderts, June 1990, cat. no. 2, p. 465, illustrated in color

Max Loreau, ed., Catalogue des travaux de Jean Dubuffet, Fascicule XXVIII: Roman burlesque, Sites tricolores, Paris, 1979, cat. no. 200, p. 147, illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. The surface is bright, fresh and clean. There is evidence of light wear and handling toward the edges, including some abrasions from the frame, and the upper left corner is buckling very slightly. There is a spot accretion to the left of the figure. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed. *Please note the auction begins at 9:30 am on November 14th.*
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.

“Personally I am not interested in what is exceptional and this extends to all domains. I feed on the banal…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.” - Jean Dubuffet

Jean Dubuffet stands as one of the Twentieth Century’s most innovative artists, seminal in the creation of an artistic vocabulary anchored in the realm of the primitive as a means of describing the world around him. His desire to rid art of its heroic tendencies and preconceived notions is visible not only in Promenade Agreste, but in his entire œuvre. L’Hourloupe—the style in which Dubuffet worked from 1962 to 1974—stemmed from these tendencies, and evolved from simple automatic telephone doodles to an entire body of work comprised of abstract patterns in strictly red, blue, white and black. In limiting himself to these four colors, Dubuffet further flattened and simplified the compositional plane while eliminating expressionism as a function of color.

Painted in December 1974, Promenade Agreste is a culmination of Dubuffet's Hourloupe series. Translated as “rustic walk” and standing at an impressive 77 inches high, the sole figure is embedded in his hauntingly bucolic surroundings. Just as Dubuffet created an entire habitat for the figures in his Coucou Bazar, a production of animated Hourloupian paintings and sculptures first performed in 1973, he has similarly created a land of imaginary architecture in Promenade Agreste. Continuously captivating audiences with his artistic skill, color and idiosyncratic designs, Dubuffet allows the viewer to complete the scene of savage, yet elegant forms, and decipher each element on his own.