Zygmunt MENKES (Lvov 1896 - New-York 1986) Lot n° 82

The clown Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm Signed middle right "Menkes". On the back, countersigned "Menkés". Provenance : Former Niko Mazaraki collection Private Collection, Paris. Bibliography : E. Teriade, Menkes, Edition Le Triangle, 1932, reproduced. Zygmunt Menkes was born in Lviv (then in Poland) in 1896, and spent his childhood in what he himself described as a sad environment. His imagination and drawing skills enabled him to escape. In 1914, he began studies at the Art Institute in his hometown. In 1919, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and left for Berlin three years later. He went to Paris in 1923, but after a year without financial resources, he was forced to return to Poland. He returned a few months later with the firm intention of staying. Zygmunt Menkes is one of the most original and talented painters of the École de Paris. He offers us a world full of gentleness and gaiety, cradled in lyricism. The artist plunges the viewer into the circus arena. Dressed in a brown-and-white striped costume, hat and earring, the clown stands on the circular stage with his back to the audience and his face in profile. The bird's-eye view and the central position of the subject on the canvas accentuate the theatrical character of the work. The lively brushstrokes and shades of red lend a warm, dynamic dimension to the work. Menkes brilliantly captures a moment suspended in time, the laughing performance of a clown whose raised hand captures all the attention. E.V