Atelier de l'artiste
Galleria Alexander Iolas, Milan
Galerie Arditti, Paris
Galerie Beyeler, Bâle (no. 7928)
Galeria Theo, Madrid
Vente : Christie's, Londres, 2 décembre 1966, lot 90
Acquis lors de cette vente par le pro♑priétaire actuel

Paris, Galerie Rive Droite, Victor Brauner, 1961, reproduit au sein du catalogue

The canvas is not lined. There is no signs of retouching visible under ultraviolet light. This work is n excellent 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."

signed 'Victor Brauner' and dated '1961' (lower right) ; signed 'VB' and titled 'Esprit mineral' (on the reverse), oil on canvas. Painted in 1961.

Fig. 1  Victor Brauner dans son atelier avec Nombre, photographié par Richard de Grab en 1965

"Le tableau, surgi des plus profondes zones de l'instinct, fait appel à l'instinct, communication sans préjugé. Le sujet du tableau est totémique ; le tableau est donc magique, il établit des rapports incantatoires et directs avec les plus grandes rêveries primitives, rêveries matérielles." Ces quelques lignes écrites par Victor Brauner en 1961 trouvent dans cet Esprit minéral une saisissan♕te illustration. Cette figure inspirée de quelque cosmogonie arborigène ou esquimau, fidèle à l'esthétique surréaliste - malgré l'exclusion de Brauner du groupe d'André Breton en 1948 -, semble directement issue de la pensée prélogique des peuples primitifs. La matité travaillée de la surface, tout comme le refus de la troisième dimension, contribue à une très nette schématisation caractéristique du style des dernières années de l'artiste.

 

"The painting, surging from the deepest regions of our unconscious, appeals to instinctive, unprejudiced communication.  The subject of the painting is totemic; the painting is thus magical, it creates incantatory and direct associations with the greatest primordial, material reveries." These few lines written by Victor Brauner in 1961 are strikingly illustrated in Esprit mineral.  This figure inspired by Aborigine or Eskimo cosmogony, faithful to Surrealist aesthetics – in spite of Brauner's exclusion from André Breton's circle in 1948 – seems to be directly taken from the primitive thought of tribal peoples.  The matte aspect of the worked surface, like a rejection of a third dimension, contribu🐼tes to a very stark schematisation characteristic of the artist's final years.