- 311
Henri Laurens
Estimate
300,000 - 500,000 USD
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Description
- Henri Laurens
- Femme à l'éventail
- Inscribed with the artist's monogram, numbered 5/6 and stamped with the foundry mark C. Valsuani Cire Perdue
- Bronze
- Length: 23 5/8 in.
- 60 cm
Provenance
Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
Acquired from the above circa 1960s
Acquired from the above circa 1960s
Literature
Marthe Laurens, ed., Henri Laurens Sculpteur, années 1915 à 1924, Paris, 1955, no. IV-1, illustration of another cast p. 74
Laurens (exhibition catalogue), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam & traveling, 1962, no. 3, illustration of another cast n.p.
Henri Laurens, Exposition de la donation aux Musées Nationaux (exhibition catalogue), Grand Palais, Paris, 1967, no. 3, illustration of another cast n.p.
Werner Hofmann, The Sculpture of Henri Laurens, New York, 1970, illustration of another cast p. 105
Las Formas del Cubismo, Escultura 1909-1919 (exhibition catalogue), Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, Madrid, 2002, illustration of another cast p. 156
Laurens (exhibition catalogue), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam & traveling, 1962, no. 3, illustration of another cast n.p.
Henri Laurens, Exposition de la donation aux Musées Nationaux (exhibition catalogue), Grand Palais, Paris, 1967, no. 3, illustration of another cast n.p.
Werner Hofmann, The Sculpture of Henri Laurens, New York, 1970, illustration of another cast p. 105
Las Formas del Cubismo, Escultura 1909-1919 (exhibition catalogue), Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, Madrid, 2002, illustration of another cast p. 156
Condition
Rich reddish brown patina. One inch hairline scratch on the backside of figure. Otherwise, excellent condition. The work is accompanied by a custom wooden base.
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
Femme à l'éventail is an exceptional example of Laurens' work, fully absorbed with a strict interpretation of the Cubist aesthetic, a movement introduced to him by Fernand Léger. The angularity of the reclining nude and the geometric composition monumentally typifies the artist's austere Cubist rendering of the human figure early in his career. The primary motivation behind Laurens' sculpture at this stage was the creation of a form of art based on a non-figurative vocabulary of sculptural signs. The artist was not concerned by trying to impart a likeness of the subject in his sculpture, but with the formal aspect of the work that he referred to as "the sculptural event."
Like his fellow Cubists, Laurens was primarily interested with the formal rhythms of line and volume. In his early work the relationship of the sculpture to its subject is not due to a resemblance but through various motifs that provide signs of the idea or inspiration behind the work. Like many of his fellow artists, Laurens would later relax these rules to allow a more figurative interpretation of the Cubist ideal, creating curvaceous sculptures of the female form. This work however is an example of Laurens' geometrical sculpture during the period when he applied a rigorous analytical method to his work.