Untitled (1965)
MAX ERNST (1891-1976)
Etching and soft varnish in two tones on Japan, signed lower right annotated "épreuve d'artiste".
In stained oak, art nouveau frame with bronze leaf slip
SOLD
Max Ernst was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic training, but his experimental attitude toward the making of art resulted in numerous ground-breaking artistic inventions.
He served as a soldier for four years during World War I, and this experience left him shocked, traumatised and critical of the modern world. During World War II he was designated an “undesirable foreigner” while living in France.
Ernst’s work often featured ironic juxtapositions of grotesque elements with Cubist and Expressionist motifs. He had a fascination with birds, often including his alter ego, Loplop, a bird, in his work. He eventually settled in France and achieved financial success in the 1950s. He died in Paris on 1 April 1976.
Max Ernst’s work has been offered at auction multiple times, the record price being 24,435,000 USD for Le Roi Jouant avec la Reinesold at Christie’s New York in 2022.
If you would like to buy this picture (or see some more photographs), arrange a viewing or if you would just like to get in touch, then please call 01608-658003 or email [email protected]