Serge Lifar, Paris
Acquired by the present owner in 2000

Paris, Galerie Vignon, Collection de peintures de nos jours appartenant à Serge Lifar, 1929

Werner Spies, Sigrid & Günter Metken & Jürgen Pech (ed.), Max Ernst, Werke 1925-1929, Cologne, 1976, vol. II, no. 996, illustrated p. 105
Robert McNab, Ghost Ships, A Surrealist Love Triangle, New Haven, 2004, no. 82, illustrated in colour, p. 164

The canvas is not lined and examination under UV light reveals no signs of retouching. There are signs of frame rubbing to the lower and upper edges as well as to the centre of the left edge, not visible when framed. There are some minor flecks of paint loss to the lower left corner and there are some studio marks in places. This work is in overall very good condition. Frame: there is some wear to the frame, notably to the corners and protruding areas.
"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."

The present work is a study that Max Ernst executed for a stage design for Constant Lambert's Romeo and Juliet, perfomed in 1926 by Diaghilev Nijinska's Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo. The first owner of this work was the dancer and choreographer Serge Lifar, who joined the Ballets Russes in 1923 at the age of eighteen. Diaghilev was immediately struck by Lifar's dance and, under his sponsorship, went on to become one of the greatest dancers and choreographers of the twentieth century. 'For a long time', wrote Arnold Haskell, 'the Russian ballet had been considered bourgeois by the Surrealist group [...] the obvious thing to do was to commission décor from some of the group and win them over that way'. In 1926 they commissioned Max Ernst and Joan Miró to design the curtains and the front cloth respectively of the Ballets Russes of Monte Carlo. This collaboration was a great success and led to other major Surrealist artists such as Dalí to do similar collaborations.