Georges Braque: The Bird
(Lot 9)
The Bird
Painted and engraved plaster plaque
Executed in 1940
Signed G.B. to the lower right hand portion of the plaque
Framed under glass and surrounded by orange velvet
9.5" ht. x 12.5" wd. (work itself)
13.25" ht. x 20.75" wd. (frame size)
DESCRIPTION
Accompanying the lot is the original receipt from Theodore Schempp & Co., 149 East 72 St., New York City. The letter reads...
"Oct. 29, 1951
Sold to Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Friedlander, Cincinnati, OH. An original painted (black) and engraved plaque entitled "The Bird" by Georges Braque ------------ $1,600.00 executed 1940. Exhibited in the Braque exhibition, 1949, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, and The Cleveland Museum of Art, no. 108 of the catalogue, purchased from the artist, 1951."
This particular painted and engraved plaster work by Braque was selected by the artist from his own collection for his major retrospective exhibitions in 1949 held at both the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. A photograph of the work can be seen from the MOMA exhibition in the MOMA archives IN403.14, photograph by Soichi Sunami (see catalogue images). Braque began his experimentation with birds in the 1940's, defining them in various modes of flight and in various mediums. The theme/motif is one of Braque's most well-known, and this is a rare and early example of that. The plaque is housed in a frame under glass surrounded by orange velvet.
LITERATURE
Georges Braque, The Museum of Modern Art, New York: In collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art. Distributed by Simon and Schuster, New York, Henry R. Hope., Page 162
EXHIBITED
Georges Braque, A Retrospective Exhibition, Cleveland Art Museum, January 26-March 13, 1949
Georges Braque, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, New York, March 29-June 12, 1949 (See photograph visual on website)
Cincinnati Collects, An exhibition of selected 20th century works of art from private collections, The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, Nov. 3-25, 1961, pg. 25
