Lot 53: Ernst, Max1891 Brühl - 1976 Paris La Vase de Lyon.

Ernst, Max
1891 Brühl - 1976 Paris

La Vase de Lyon.
1972. Oil on material collage. Canvas. Laid down on carboard. 50 x 39,8cm. Framed.

The work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné by Luciano Anselmino
and Günter Metken.

Provenance:
Galerie Iolas, Milan
Galleria Il Fauno, Milan (gallery label)
Private collection, Italy
Private collection, Belgium
Private collection, Rhineland

In the early 20th century, the autodidact Max Ernst modernised the pictorial language of painting in a revolutionary way. Strongly rooted in Dadaism and Surrealism, he didn't only come up with completely new pictorial and fantasy worlds, but also developped many differnt new techniques as for instance frottage and grattage always questioning the artists role as a creator - not very surprising for an artist who succeeded without academy training. It is also his use of collage that reveals his opinion as to the artist's position. As one of the first artists of his time, he created an impressive number of works in which he cuts out different material, rearranges and glues it together.
Thus he questions in how far an artist is really the creator of a work of art. Max Ernst
attributes a particular ability of seeing and perceiving to the artist. In his opinion it's not a perfect technique that makes a good artist but his special talent of seeing something and making it visible in whatever way.