Galerie Alexander Iolas, Geneva

Nicki Iolas-Stifel (acquired by 1958)

Private Collection (acquired from the a🧸bove in 196ꩵ3)

Acquired in 1993

Patrick Waldberg, Max Ernst, Paris, 1958, illustrated p. 231

Werner Spies, Sigrid & Günter Metken, Max Ernst, Werke 1954-1963, Cologne, 1998, no. 3326, illustrated p. 145

Very good condition. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light, there appear to be two small retouchings to the lower edges towards the right corner to cover paint loss. There is some minor craquelure to the black background, probably intrinsic to the medium, some frame rubbing to the corners and a small irregularity in the weave of the canvas to the upper left quadrant. This work is in 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.
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.

Art historian John Russell identifies a notable change in Ernst's approach to color and medium in the mid-1950s. There appears in his work from this a period a new appreciation for the subtle power of color over form, a sensibility that inhabits the celebratory Gracieux et subtil (Eclosion). Russell describes a "new phase in Max Ernst's career: one in which a single seraphic incident, or even a single seraphic impulse, was the subject of the picture, and the picture was carried out in a steady, persistent, incorporeal flicker of pure colour. Having stood up, in his own way, to the challenge of the great museums of Europe he suddenly revealed himself as attentive, in his early sixties, to the poetry of light" (John Russell, Max Ernst, Life and Work, New York, 1967, p. 162). The opt🙈imistic embrace of color that permeates the composition and title of the current work reflects the overwhelming joy of returning home to Europe 🔥after his time in America.