Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
Curt Valentin Gallery, New York
G. David Thompson, Pittsburgh
Mrs. Hélène S. Thompson (sold: Sotheby's Parke Bernet, New York, May 18, 1983, lot 41)
Edward R. Lewis, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Copenhagen, Kunstforeningen & Oslo, Kunstnerforbundet, Fernand Léger, 1951, no. 11
Bern, Kunsthalle, Fernand Léger, 1952, no. 51

Georges Bauquier, Fernand Léger, 1925-1928. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 561, illustrated p. 286

Very good condition. Canvas is lined. Clean surface. There are very thin cracks visible in the black pigment. Under UV light, two spots of inpainting are visible, one above and one below the small seed pod shape at lower center. There is one spot below black stripe on the righthand side. Other dots of retouching to address frame abrasion. Otherwise fine.
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.

Partly inspired by the innovation of cinematographic close-ups in the early 1920s, Léger incorporated intimate views of common objects in his art, facilitating their personification.  Initially utilizing the close-up in his images of machinery and industrial objects, these works embodied his "Mechanical Period."  In 1924, Léger turned toward new subject matter when he collaborated with Dudley Murphy, Ezra Pound, and George Antheil on a film entitled Les ballets méchaniques.  Through a succession of dynamic fragments and cropped images the film monumentalizes objects rooted in everyday life including kitchen utensils, a cake mould, typewriter, and straw hat (fig.1).  On his fascination of everyday iconography, Léger stated, "Every object, picture, architectural work and ornamental arrangement has an intrinsic value that is strictly absolute, independent of that which it represents"(quoted in Judi Freeman, Leger's Shift from the Mechanical to the Figurative, 1926-1933, Stuttgart, 1988, p. 19).

Painted in 1928, Nature Morte is a unique example from this period in Léger's oeuvre. Léger infuses the close-up with abstract🗹ion to create pristinely painted forms.  The forms are released from the horizontal and vertical planes that often characterize Léger's work, allowing them to float in a serene atmospheric space. This environment exhibits a hint of surrealist influence. The lack of a definitive background aggrandizes the objects by layering them in the foreground, bringing them simultaneously to the viewer's attention.

The current work represents a trans✤itional moment in Léger's oeuvre, serving as a bridge from his cubist to his figurative works.  However, his inclusion of the traditional still-life combined with surrealist influence and modern iconography culminates in this significant and successful work indicative of the avant-garde spirit.

 

Fig. 1 Film still from Les ballets méchaniques, 1924