- 6
GERMAINE RICHIER | Sauterelle
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 EUR
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Description
- After Germaine Richier
- Sauterelle
- signed and numbered 2, stamped with the founder's mark Valsuani
- bronze with brown patina
- 53,5 x 63 x 44 cm; 21 1/16 x 23 5/8 x 17 5/16 in.
- Conceived in 1945, this work cast after 1959 is number 2 of an edition of 12.
Provenance
Galerie Creuzevault, Paris
Private Collection, Sweden
Private Collection, Sweden
Julian Barran Ltd, London
Galerie Daniel Varenne, Geneva
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1995
Private Collection, Sweden
Private Collection, Sweden
Julian Barran Ltd, London
Galerie Daniel Varenne, Geneva
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1995
Exhibited
London, The Hanover Gallery, Germaine Richier, 6 October - 5 November 1955; catalogue, np., no. 10, other example
Saint-Paul de Vence, Fondation Maeght, Germaine Richier, Rétrospective, 5 April - 25 June 1996; catalogue, p. 46, no. 14, illustrated, other example
Berlin, Akademie der Künste, Germaine Richier, 7 September - 2 November 1997; catalogue, p.77, no. 15, p. 85, no. 20, illustrated, other example
Saint-Paul de Vence, Fondation Maeght, Germaine Richier, Rétrospective, 5 April - 25 June 1996; catalogue, p. 46, no. 14, illustrated, other example
Berlin, Akademie der Künste, Germaine Richier, 7 September - 2 November 1997; catalogue, p.77, no. 15, p. 85, no. 20, illustrated, other example
Literature
Peter Selz, New Images of Man, New York, 1959, p. 129, illustrated (other example)
Catalogue d'exposition, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Germaine Richier, 28 October - 5 February 2007, Venice, p. 70
Catalogue d'exposition, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Germaine Richier, 28 October - 5 February 2007, Venice, p. 70
Condition
The colours are fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration although the overall tonality of the patina is slightly darker in the original work. Under close inspection there is a light rub mark located on the rim of the left edge of the base and a scratch mark (approx. 7cm) on the back of the figure. 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."
"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
Germaine Richier, Moyenne Sauterelle, 1945 Figure tutélaire de l’histoire de l’art moderne, Germaine Richier reste inclassable. Formée par Bourdelle à la sculpture d’après modèle vivant, son œuvre prend cependant un tour anthropomorphe au sortir de la guerre, le corps humain restant au centre de ses préoccupations mais revêtant dès lors un caractère allégorique et fantastique, à l’image de cette Sauterelle dont la matière tourmentée revêt un caractère dramatique d’essence existentialiste. Chargée d’une force primitive tenant, comme le souligne André Pieyre de Mandiargues, « du roc ou de la souche autant que de l’homme écorché », La Sauterelle est sans aucun doute l’un des chefs d’œuvre de l’artiste qui a su faire évoluer la sculpture vers un naturalisme baroque et expressif inédit.
Guardian figure of modern art history, Germaine Richier remains unclassifiable. Trained in sculpture after live models by Bourdelle, her work took on an anthropomorphic turn after the war. Although the human body remained a central theme, it took on an allegoric and fantastic dimension, as is visible in La Sauterelle, which tormented aspect reveals a dramatic dimension of existentialist nature. Charged with a primitive force that, as worded by André Pieyre de Mandiargues, evokes a “rock or stump as well as a skinned figure”, La Sauterelle is undoubtedly one of the artist’s masterpieces that brought sculpture toward an unprecedented expressive and baroque naturalism.
Guardian figure of modern art history, Germaine Richier remains unclassifiable. Trained in sculpture after live models by Bourdelle, her work took on an anthropomorphic turn after the war. Although the human body remained a central theme, it took on an allegoric and fantastic dimension, as is visible in La Sauterelle, which tormented aspect reveals a dramatic dimension of existentialist nature. Charged with a primitive force that, as worded by André Pieyre de Mandiargues, evokes a “rock or stump as well as a skinned figure”, La Sauterelle is undoubtedly one of the artist’s masterpieces that brought sculpture toward an unprecedented expressive and baroque naturalism.