Lot 323
  • 323

Kurt Seligmann

Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
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Description

  • Kurt Seligmann
  • Le Génie de la conviction
  • signed Seligmann and dated 1943 (lower left); titled on the reverse
  • mixed media on masonite
  • 117 by 147.2cm., 46 by 58in.

Provenance

Sale: Guy Loudmer, Hotel Drouot Paris, 26th November 1990, lot 85
Arteba Galerie, Zurich
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2008

Exhibited

Mexico City, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Exposicion. 21 pinturas de Kurt Seligmann, 1943
Bozen, Museion, Das Museum für moderne und zeitgenössische Kunst, Dimension Schweiz 1915-1993, 1993, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Zurich, Arteba Galerie, Kurt Seligmann, Jubiläums-Ausstellung zum 100. Geburtstag des Künstlers, 2000, illustrated in the catalogue
Basel, Galerie Carzaniga, Aus privaten Sammlungen, 2011, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Literature

Stephan E. Hauser, Kurt Seligmann 1900-1962 – Leben und Werk, Basel, 1997, no. 217, illustrated p. 248

Condition

Executed on primed Masonite. The board is stable and nailed at intermittent points along the perimeter to a wooden support. UV examination reveals small retouches at intermittent points along the edges, some pertaining to removed nails with associated minor spots of paint loss. There are scattered small spots of retouching in the background to the upper left quadrant and above the orange element at the centre left. There is a further spot of retouching in the green to the left of the centre of the composition and a few smaller spots around the leg of the leftmost figure. There are some spots of shrinkage with associated tiny spots of losses in places. This work is in overall 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."

Catalogue Note

Painted in 1943, Le Génie de la conviction can be read as a powerful reaction to the turmoil of World War II. The work depicts a fantastic and surreal scene of six imaginary figures engaged in a macabre and haunting procession – some waving flags, others pointing the way into the unknown. The exposed bones and muscles of these faceless characters have a grotesque organic quality and are set off dramatically against a dark background of apocalyptic colours.

Kurt Seligmann grew up in Basel and, true to his credo that any form of progress had to be based on a respect for the past, his art was heavily influenced by the Swiss culture and heritage around him. In Le Génie de la conviction, the engagement with human suffering recalls Matthias Gruenewald’s celebrated masterpiece, the Isenheim Altar, designed to console and comfort worshippers. Equally, the hustle and bustle of the imaginative procession of the present work references the Basel Carnival, with its crowds of citizen in medieval costume and lavish headgear indulging in an annual revelry of music and high spirits. The event fascinated Seligmann from an early age and left a lasting impression on his art. In an interview, the artist recalled: “My entire childhood was impregnated by the ancient ideal of the Soldier of Fortune which since the 15th century has left an indelible mark on Basel. The heraldic ensigns, the armor, the halyards, the drapery, the ribbons, all this anachronistic attire was very much alive for me. It seems to me that I always hear, in the depth of my ears, the deafening sound of the enormous drums that are reserved for Carnival Day. Basel, you see, is still and always Holbein, Erasmus, Frobeinus, Melanchton. It is in the culture of my natal city to which my subconscious always travels whenever I begin one of my compositions, whether abstract or imaginative” (Henri Héraut, ‘Artistes d'aujourd'hui: Kurt Seligmann, peintre d'avant-garde’ in Sud, no. 126, Marseille, 15 April 1935).