Lansky

Live Auction 2  –  6 July 2020

Lansky, Live Auction 2

Ancient and World Coins, Ancient Art, Paintings, Watches

Mo, 06.07.2020, from 3:00 PM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

Fernand Léger (Argentan 1881 - 1955 Gif-sur-Yvette). Butterflies in the wheel, 1944. Oil of canvas. 52.9x43.3cm. Signed and dated lower right. Bauquier 1159, illustrated page 17. From a European private collection; Sotheby's 2016 (01 June) lot 20; former American private collection; Pers Galleries, New-York; Valentine Gallery 1935 (9 April - 5 May) lot 15

'Les papillons dans la roue' is an emblematic work of Fernand Léger’s American period when he spent the years of the second World War in exile in the United States, from 1941 to 1945. During his summer stay at Rouses Point in Northern New York State, he was impressed by various objects abandoned next to a farm, and the disused machinery, invaded by overgrown thorns, birds nests and insects proved to be a powerful source of visual inspiration for him. 'Butterflies in the wheel' perfectly illustrates the eminently poetic and singular world of the artist. This painting was moreover a part of the prestigious collection of the New York dealer Valentine Dudensing in the 1940s. Her gallery was then considered as the temple of modernism, presenting the greatest artists of the time such as Picasso, Braque, Matisse and Mondrian.

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Starting price 400'000 EUR
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