Max Ernst

Galerie de l'Ile de France, Paris
Galleria Hausammann, Cortina d'Ampezzo
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

Werner Spies, Max Ernst Œuvre-Katalog, Werke 1954-1963, Cologne, 1998, no. 3465, illustrated p. 215 (with incorrect medium)

The colours are extremely bright and fresh; the pigment is intact. Close examination reveals some hairline superficial scratches perhaps inherent to the artists technique. Under UV light a V shape fluoresces between the two shells, otherwise this 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. 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."

“Flowers made of seashells, feathers, crystals, jellyfish and reeds. All these friends metamorphose into flowers. All the flowers metamorphose into birds, all the birds into mountains, all the mountains into stars. Each star becomes a house, each house a city.”
Max Ernst, 'Notes pour une biographie' in Ecritures, 1970

Ernst triumphantly returned to Paris in the early 1950s with a spirit of optimism renewed by Europe’s post-war recovery. Coquillages dates from this important period, in which earlier themes intersect with Ernst’s mature artistic sensibility. During his time in the United States he had been profoundly influenced by a publication by James Bell Pettigrew called Design in Nature, in which meticulously detailed illustrations highlight the geometric patterns and forms inherent in the natural world. Taking inspiration from these diagrams, upon his return to post-war France, in which Surrealism had largely been overshadowed by Abstract Expressionism, he re-incorporated motifs from the natural world into his art, developing his fascination for microscopic flora and fauna. In Coquillages this emphasis on organic forms achieves powerful expression through a vibrant palette and richly textured grattage technique in which the tiny seashells are elevated to celestial proportions.