Max Ernst Lot n° 35

Max Ernst Janus 1974 Bronze. Height 43.7 cm. Signed and numbered 'max ernst 18/18' on the upper plinth and with the foundry mark "A. VALSUANI CIRE PERDUE". The bronze was produced in variously patinated editions of 20 copies each (numbered 00/18 and 0/18 - 18/18), 8 épreuves d'artiste and several épreuves d'essai. - With lively, golden-brown patina. No longer with Spies/Metken Provenance Collection Dr. Peter Schneppenheim, Cologne Exhibitions Cf. e.g. Newport Beach/Berkeley/Indianapolis 1992/1993 (Newport Harbor Art Museum/University Art Museum, University of California/Indianapolis Museum of Art), Max Ernst, The Sculpture, no. 57, with illus. p. 44; Malmö 1995/1996 (Konsthall), Max Ernst, Skulptur, with illus. pp. 184, 185; Turin 1996 (Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Castello di Rivoli), Max Ernst sculture/sculptures, p. 192, with illus. p. 186; São Paulo 1997 (Museo Brasileiro da Escultura Marilisa Rathsam), Max Ernst, Esculturas, obras sobre papel, obras gráficas, no. 53, p. 38, ill. pp. 100, 101; Lisbon 1999/2000 (Fundação Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva), Max Ernst, esculturas sculptures, p. 87, with ill. p. 79; Tokyo 2000 (Tokyo Station Gallery), Max Ernst, The Surrealist Universe in Sculpture, Painting and Photography, no. p. 60, p. 165, with ill. p. 79; Schwäbisch Hall/Salzburg 2009 (Kunsthalle Würth/Museum der Moderne), Albtraum und Befreiung. Max Ernst in the Würth Collection, p. 336 f. with illus. Literature Cf. Edward Quinn, Max Ernst, Barcelona 1977, ill. p. 18 and pp. 22/23; Susanne Kaufmann, Im Spannungsfeld von Fläche und Raum. Studien zur Wechselwirkung von Malerei und Skulptur im Werk von Max Ernst, Weimar 2003, p. 110, no. 104 with illus. p. 293; Jürgen Pech (ed.), Max Ernst. Plastische Werke, Cologne 2005, pp. 208-211, with illus. The Peter Schneppenheim Collection With six works by Max Ernst, three paintings, a sculpture (lots 32-35) and two works on paper (lots 211, 212, auction 1248, June 5, 2024), selected works from one of the most important and extensive collections of the Franco-German artist - the Schneppenheim Collection - will be offered for sale. The initiator of this collection was the Cologne physician Dr. Peter Schneppenheim (1926-2021), who had collected the works over decades on the national and international art market. The collector's persistent and constructive commitment also led to the founding of the Max Ernst Museum in his home town of Brühl in 2005. His extensive collection of graphic works, illustrated books and selected paintings formed the basis of this unique artists' museum. Peter Schneppenheim was head physician at the Heilig-Geist-Krankenhaus in Cologne-Longerich for almost two decades. He found balance and fulfillment both in music and in art, particularly in the works of the painter, graphic artist and sculptor Max Ernst, who was born in Brühl in 1891 and whose work he had often encountered in Brühl and Cologne. One of the first works that he had consciously noticed, and which immediately made him smile, was the collage "C'est le chapeau qui fait l'homme" from 1920. However, the key experience for the acquisition of his works was the first renowned German retrospective in 1951 at Augustusburg Castle in Brühl. Schneppenheim was immediately fascinated by the variety of pictorial themes and techniques: "In my enthusiasm for the unusual, previously unseen works of art, probably also euphorically inspired after having just passed my state examination, I had the idea of acquiring paintings by this artist myself - initially a daring pipe dream on the salary of a young medical assistant, until I was able to produce my first works on paper." (quoted from: Max Ernst. Graphische Welten, exhib. cat. Brühl 2004, p. 10). Schneppenheim's initial enthusiasm for Max Ernst did not wane - on the contrary, his increasing preoccupation with his life and work, his innovative pictorial techniques and literary horizon led over time to systematic purchases with the aim of covering his graphic oeuvre as completely as possible. The purchase of predominantly graphic works was - at least initially - a conscious decision. From the outset, Schneppenheim demonstrated an impressive eye for quality and uniqueness and selected Ernst's central works on paper. In 1968, he also decided to purchase an oil painting for the first time and acquired the landscape "Les antipodes du paysage" (lot 34), which is being offered here, through the renowned gallery owner Fritz Valentien in Stuttgart, who specialized in Max Ernst. This painting is also significant because it formed the starting point for the collection's thematic focus on landscapes. A special event in the 1970s was Schneppenheim's personal encounter with Max Ernst and