RENÉ MAGRITTE | Projet pour Les Nécessités de la Vie (recto verso)

Sale: Christie's, London, December 7, 1998, lot 160
Acquired at the above sale by Dr. Arthur Brandt

Boone, Turchin Center for the Arts, The Omnipotent Dream: Man Ray, confluences and influences, 2003, no. 40, illustrated in the catalogue p. 30 and listed p. 35
Ithaca, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism and more from the Brandt Collection, 2006, illustrated p. 74

Executed on cream wove squarred paper, not laid down and attached to the mount with tape at the upper and lower edges. The sheet is slightly undulating. Recto: There is some staining to the sheet, particularly towards the left edge. There is a loss to the paper surface to the left part of the upper edge and there is a diagonal flattened crease to the lower left corner. Verso: There is some tape residue visible at the edges. There is some paper skinning visible at the centre of the upper edge and there are some flattened creases to the paper surface. There is some staining visible in places and a spot of studio dirt in the lower right 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."

The Collection of Arthur Brandt: Part II

This sale is comprised of additional works collected by Arthur Brandt, as a follow-up to the Collection Arthur Brandt: Dada, Surréalisme et au-delà sale, which was held at Sotheby's, Paris, last October. The present sale can be considered an extension of the first one- also focusing on interesting works from the realms of Dada and Surrealism and the other interesting avant-garde movements of the 20th century, but continuing as well in pursuance of works from many other regions of 20th century art activity.

Arthur Brandt is a collector inspired by his heart, as well as his very intelligent and inquisitive mind, and each work presented in this sale was acquired with the same level of enthusiasm and passion that he employed from one end of his long collecting adventure to the other. He spent countless hours scouring through the catalogues presented by auction houses of every level, regularly visiting the exhibition rooms and sales at the Hôtel Drouot and other venues in Paris, and their counterparts in London and New York. He also was a regular visitor to galleries in all of these same cities, and to private dealers whose interests coincided with his, as well.

Brandt's interests were widespread and eclectic, initiating with his lifelong fascination with the Dadaists and the Surrealists, but expanding to all other phases of 20th century art also, from Post-Impressionism all the way to the Pop artists of the post-war era. Included in this sale are works rendered in almost every medium, by a diverse array of artists, both from the ranks of the famous as Jean Arp, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Picabia, Max Ernst, Kurt Schwitters, Rene Magritte, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall and Diego Giacometti, and additionally, artists of lesser fame but often equal talent and appeal as the mathematics professor/collagist Max Bucaille, Marcel Duchamp's sister Suzanne, E.L.T. Mesens, Georges Hugnet, Mme. Valentine Hugo, Marcel Mariën, Pierre Roy, Georges Sadoul, Henri and No Seigle and Kurt Seligmann.

Illuminating the examples presented in this sale from the journey of Arthur Brandt's diverse and far-ranging meanderings are, among other treasures: a highly representative oil on paper by Georges Braque from his Oiseaux series of the 1950s, a romantic ink and gouache work by Marc Chagall, a discerning sketch by Foujita, a rendering of an albatross by Diego Giacometti, as well as his seminal bronze, The Ostrich and two charming small landscapes by Albert Marquet. One can further cite, for extended interest and diversity: a 1920s etching by Kandinsky, two engraved studies by Duchamp of components of his epic work, The Large Glass, an interesting oil by Vera Efinovna Pestel, a 1930s watercolor by Jean Hélion, and an intriguing gouache by Rolf Scarlett. In short, there are desirable works available here for just about anybody intrigued with the byways of 20th century art-- seasoned veterans and newcomers to the adventure of art collecting alike. We encourage all collectors and would-be collectors to follow  in the footsteps of Arthur Brandt by carefully considering the works in this sale and discovering something you simply cannot live without.

Timothy Baum and Francis M. Naumann

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Comité Magritte.