Born to wine merchants in 1901 in Le Havre, France, Jean Dubuffet transitioned between winemaking and art until fully dedicating himself to his creative practice in 1942. In 1918, DuBuffet had attended the acclaimed Academie Julien in Paris and there formed friendships with fellow painters Fernand Léger and André Masson. Dubuffet quickly found the academy too rigid, and left to study independently immersing himself in poetry, music and language. After marrying in 1924 he established a small wine business and though he returned to painting in 1934 with a series of portraits, he stopped soon after during the Nazi Occupation of France. French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet was the founder of the art movement known as Art Brut during the 1940s. He is remembered for his cultivation of ‘low art.” In 1942, Dubuffet made a dedicated return to painting, depicting urban subject matter – crammed city blocks, people riding the metro or walking down the street. In these works his colors are bold and solid, showing the influence of Fauvism and German Expressionism. It was a 1945 visit to a Jean Fautrier exhibition that brought Dubuffet to his artistic breakthrough. He considered Fautrier’s works an attempt at pure expression and was inspired by his incorporation of nontraditional materials into his canvases. Dubuffet then began mixing materials including mud, sand, pebbles, glass string and other materials into oil paint, creating a thick paste, which applied with a painting spatula. He was able to carve and cut lines into the textured surface. The works were infused with an irony and humor. Dubuffet’s works are included in major museum collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Tate Modern, London, and the Fondation Jean Dubuffet, Paris. His paintings continue to perform well at auction. According to Sotheby’s Mei Moses, the average compound annual return for Jean Dubuffet resold at auction between 2003 and 2017 was 7.7%. 90.5% of 190 such works increased in value.

Jean Dubuffet

Prints & Photographs Part I

Property from the Collection of Anne and Stuart Robinowitz

Property from the Collection of Anne and Stuart Robinowitz Jean Dubuffet 1901 - 1985 Personnage au costume rouge (Webel 806) signed in pencil, dated and numbered 15/50 lithograph printed in colors on Arches wove paper image: 20 ⅝ by 15 in. 525 by 381 mm. sheet: 25 ⅞ by 19 ¾ in. 656 by 502 mm. Executed in 1951, this impression is number 15 from the edition of 50 plus five artist's proofs.

View 1 of Lot 313: Personnage au costume rouge (Webel 806)

personnage au costume rouge (webel 806)

Property from the Collection of Anne and Stuart Robinowitz Jean Dubuffet 1901 - 1985 Nez carotte (Webel 808) signed in pencil, dated, titled and numbered 18/50 lithograph printed in colors on Rives wove paper sheet: 25 ½ by 19 ⅝ in. 650 by 500 mm. Executed in 1962, this impression is number 18 from the edition of 50 plus four artist's proofs.

View 1 of Lot 314: Nez carotte (Webel 808)

nez carotte (webel 808)

The Superintendent | Le Surintendant by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean+Debuffet&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean Debuffet</a>, 1972.<ul><li>Jean Debuffet (French, 1901-1985).</li><li>Screen print in colors on Wove paper.</li><li>Printed and co-published by Jeanne Bucher, Paris and Pace Editions, New York.</li><li>Hand signed, dated and numbered.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This screen print is hand signed in pencil by the artist with his initials 'JD' (Jean Dubuffet) in the lower right corner. The work is also numbered in pencil from the edition of 120, at the lower left corner. There were also 30 hors commerce proofs and ten artist's proofs. It is also dated "72" [1972] next to the signature.

The Superintendent | Le Surintendant

Line with Five Characters [Site Avec Cinq Personnages], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=jean+dubuffet&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean Dubuffet</a>, 1981.<ul><li>Jean Dubuffet (French, 1901-1985).</li><li>Screenprint and lithograph in colors on Wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 90.</li><li>Published by the Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk, Denmark.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul>

Line with Five Characters | Site Avec Cinq Personnages

Galloping Race, from: Fables | Course la galope: Fables, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean+Dubuffet&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean Dubuffet</a>, 1976.<ul><li>Jean Dubuffet (French, 1901-1985).</li><li>Screenprint in colors on Wove paper.</li><li>Published by Pace Editions, Inc., New York.</li><li>Hand signed, dated, and numbered.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original screenprint is hand signed in pencil by the artist with his initials "JD" in the lower right corner (Jean Dubuffet). It is also dated "76” (1976) next to the signature. The work is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower left margin. It was printed in a limited edition of 50 hand signed and numbered impressions, there were also seven artist’s proofs. This is one of six compositions created by the artist for the portfolio Fables, published in 1976.

Galloping Race, from: Fables | Course la galope: Fables

Site Avec Cinq Personnages [Line with Five Characters] by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Jean+Dubuffet&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jean Dubuffet</a>, 1981.<ul><li>Jean Dubuffet (French, 1901-1985).</li><li>Screenprint and lithograph in colors on Wove paper.</li><li>Hand-signed dated, and numbered.</li><li>Edition 8/90.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original screenprint and lithograph is hand signed in pencil by the artist with his initials "J.D." [Jean Dubuffet] at the lower right corner. It is also dated "81" [1981] next to the signature. The work is hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 90, at the lower left corner. It was published by the Louisiana Museum, Humlebæk, Denmark.

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