¤ JEAN METZINGER (1883-1956) THE STUDIO MODEL... Lot 9

¤ JEAN METZINGER (1883-1956) THE STUDIO MODEL WITH THE RED DRAPE Oil on canvas Signed lower left Oil on canvas; signed lower left 73 X 54 CM - 28 3/4 X 21 1/4 IN. A certificate from the Comité Jean Metzinger will be given to the buyer. This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné Jean Metzinger is currently preparing, under n° 2109/1. Mr Alexander Mittelmann has confirmed the authenticity of this work. PROVENANCE Private collection, France. Then by descent to the present owner. "From his association with the Neo-Impressionists, Jean Metzinger has retained a taste for meticulousness, a taste that is not mediocre. There is nothing unfinished in his work, nor is there anything that is not the result of rigorous logic, and if he ever made a mistake, which I do not know and which I do not care to know, it was not by chance. His work will be one of the most certain documents when we want to explain the art of our time. It is thanks to Metzinger's paintings that we will be able to distinguish between what has aesthetic value in our art and what does not. A painting by Metzinger always contains its own explanation. This may be a noble weakness, but it is certainly of high conscience and I believe unique in the history of art. As soon as one approaches a painting by Metzinger one feels that the artist has had the firm desire to take seriously only what is serious and that events, according to a method which seems to me excellent, provide him with the plastic elements of his art. But if he accepts them all, he does not use them randomly. His work is healthy, healthier without a doubt than those of most of his contemporaries. It will delight those who like to know the reasons for things, and these reasons are enough to satisfy the mind. Jean Metzinger's works have purity. His meditations take on beautiful forms, whose pleasure tends to approach the sublime. The new ensembles he composes are entirely stripped of everything known before him. His art, more and more abstract but always pleasant, tackles and tries to solve the most difficult and unforeseen problems of aesthetics. Each of his works contains a judgement on the universe and his entire oeuvre contains the nocturnal firmament when it is pure of all clouds and trembling with adorable glows. And there is nothing unfinished in his work, poetry ennobles the smallest details. Guillaume Apollinaire, The Cubist Painters, Éditions Bartillat, Paris, 2018, pp. 70-71. "Influenced by the Neo-Impressionists, Jean Metzinger retains a strong appreciation for meticulousness. There is nothing unfinished about his work; everything is the result of rigorous logic. I cannot say if he has ever been mistaken, nor does it matter to me, but if he has, was certainly not by accident. His work is among the most salient documents for explaining the art of our time. Thanks to Metzinger, we can draw the line between what has aesthetic value in our art and what does not. Metzinger's paintings always contain their own explanation. This may be a noble flaw, but it is most certainly done in full awareness, and I believe, is a unique case in the history of art. As soon as one approaches a painting by Metzinger, it is clear that the artist has the firm desire to only take seriously that which is serious, and that events, according to a method that I consider excellent, supply him with the visual elements of his art. But although he accepts them all, he does not use them at random. His work is sound, perhaps more so than that of most of his contemporaries. It will delight those who prefer to know the reasons behind things-and those reasons are enough to satisfy the mind. Jean Metzinger's work reflects purity. His meditations take attractive forms, with a beauty approaching the sublime. The new ensembles he composes are stripped of everything that came before him. His increasingly abstract but still agreeable art addresses and strives to resolve the most difficult and unexpected aesthetic challenges. IMPORTANT NOTE The sale of this lot is subject to droit de suite. By way of derogation, the buyer is responsible for payment. The applicable rate is 4% of the hammer price, excluding tax, for the portion up to €50,000, 3% for the portion between €50,000 and €50,000. Price bracket between 50 000,01 and 200 000€ and 1% for the price bracket between 200 000,01€ and 350 000€.