費爾南·雷捷

Eric Estorick, London

Grosvenor Gallery, London

Burt Lancaster (acquired from the above)

Estate of Burt Lancaster (sold: Christie's, New York, May 11, 1995, lot 394)

Acquired at the above sale 

Very good condition. The sheet is mounted to an acid-free mat. The medium is vibrant and intact. There is some retouching to scattered losses around the periphery and old, flattened creases.
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.

The present work is a study for the painting Les trois soeurs, 1952, now in the collection of the Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart. In later versions of this composition, the artist changed the background color to blue. After a period of working with abstract imagery, Léger returned to the use of figurative subjects for his paintings in the 1940s and 50s.  Léger did not view this change as a rejection of the aims of abstraction, however, but rather as a way of continuing to pursue the aims of pure painting with a new vocabulary.  The artist wrote in 1950, "New subjects, envisaged with the contribution of the freedoms that previous experimentation has offered, must emerge and establish themselves."  The goals were still the same, according to Léger, whether the image included objects from the everyday world or was completely abstract,  "The plastic life, the picture, is made up of harmonious relationships among volumes, lines, and colors.  These are the three forces that must govern works of art.  If, in organizing these three essential elements harmoniously, one finds that objects, elements of reality, can enter into the composition, it may be better and may give the work more richness.  But they must be subordinated to the three essential elements mentioned above" (Quoted in Beth Handler, Fernand Léger, (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1998, p. 247).