Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris (1982)

Waddington Galleries, Ltd., London

James Goodman Gallery, New York

Acquired from the above in 1985

Osaka, Hankyu Department Stores, Aventure poétique de Bonnard à nos jours, 1979

Buffalo, Albright-Knox Gallery; Montreal, Musée des beaux-arts & Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Fernand Léger, 1982, no🌄. 74, illu🐼strated in color in the catalogue

Excellent condition. Original canvas. The paint layer is clean and stable. Under UV, there is no evidence of retouching.
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.

Composition aux deux oiseaux incorporates the solidly linear figures that had populated Léger's best work since the 1920s.  Color and form were primary concerns for the artist, but by the last years of his career he began to incorporate narrative into his highly-geometric compositions.  In this pictꦕure, the juxtaposition of the organically-shaped birds against the more rigid arcs and colorful bands reveals the medley of shapes and forms that have become part of the contemporary landscape.  Léger was fascinated with social progress, and the campers, construction workers, and circus performers that he painted in the 1💫950s celebrate the activities of modern life.   

Concerning the constrasts inherent in these pictures from the 1950s, Léger said, "If I was able to approach very close to a realistic figuration, it was because the violent constrast between my workmen and the metal geometry in which they are set is at its maximum.  Modern sculptures, whether social or other, are valid insofar as this law of contrasts is respected; otherwise one falls back on the classical picture of the Italian Renaissance" (quoted in Werner Schmalenbach, Fernand Léger, New York, 1976, p. 162).