- 161
George Grosz
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 EUR
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Description
- George Grosz
- Cher Oscar!
- dated Avril 4/45 and titled Cher Oscar! (lower right), inscribed Je vous remercie beaucoup for votre enchanting letter, ici je reponse avec mon amour et love, Oui, oui, je viens et nous buvons, oui, oui, oui (towards upper right), inscribed c'est ze leetle bête noire (towards upper left), inscribed c'est pour votre femme trois roses (towards lower left) and inscribed c'est moi a Douglaston faire la peinture, love to both of you as ever yours and Soon we will come together pour diner (towards lower centre)
- collage, ink and chalk on paper
- 27.8 x 21.5 cm; 10 7/8 x 8 1/2 in.
Provenance
Oscar Fabris (gift from the artist on April 4, 1945)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 1998, lot 212
Acquired at the above sale by Dr. Arthur Brandt
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 14, 1998, lot 212
Acquired at the above sale by Dr. Arthur Brandt
Exhibited
Boone, Turchin Center for the Arts, The Omnipotent Dream: Man Ray, confluences and influences, 2003, illustrated in the catalogue p. 33, listed p. 35
Ithaca, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism and More from the Brandt Collection, 2006, illustrated in the catalogue p. 55
Ithaca, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism and More from the Brandt Collection, 2006, illustrated in the catalogue p. 55
Condition
Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount in two places along the upper edge and floating in the mount; the sheet has previously been folded into quarters. The collage elements are stable. The right and lower edges are deckled. There is a small tear (approx. 3mm) to the lower part of the left edge. The sheet is unevenly time-stained. There are two diagonal creases accross the upper left corner. 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."
"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
George Grosz was one of the principal Neue Sachlichkeit artists (New Objectivity), alongside Otto Dix. He was also a member of the Berlin Dada group (1917-20) when he created photomontages, often satirical and anticlerical, portraying figures and automatons characteristing the grotesque and reality of urban life. He moved to the United States in 1933 and later returned to his Dada photomontages in the 1940s-50s. In this playful self-portrait of 1945, Grosz depicts himself wearing women shoes and a missing limb, perhaps suggestive of the impending end to the Second World War.