Max Ernst (1891-1976)
Hommage à Marcel Duchamp, 1970
Color etching on handmade paper
Dimensions: 21 × 15.5 cm, 41 × 31 cm (with frame)
Signed in pencil at lower right: max ernst
Marked with edition in pencil at lower left: 125/125
Handwritten dedication: pour / René 92
Condition: good, visible local yellowing of margins and small spots.
Provenance:
- Private collection, Cologne (Germany)
- Private collection, East Westphalia
The featured artwork is a rare late work by Max Ernst - one of the most important artists of the 20th century - made as a tribute to his friend and artistic companion, Marcel Duchamp. It was created as part of the "Monument à Christophe Colomb et à Marcel Duchamp" portfolio published by the prestigious Éditions Georges Visat publishing house in 1970. The print combines automatic drawing with elements of controlled composition - the color patches and delicate pen gestures suggest organic forms and almost biological structures, close to visualizing the impulses of the subconscious.
Max Ernst (Brühl 1891 - Paris 1976) - German painter, sculptor, printmaker and poet, co-founder of Dadaism and Surrealism. He studied philosophy in Bonn, but became fascinated by the art of Cézanne and the Cubists and began his artistic activity. After the trauma of World War I, he joined the Dada movement in Cologne and then the Surrealists in Paris. He pioneered the techniques of frottage and grattage, which he used in experimental prints and paintings.
Ernst's work is characterized by a surrealist imagination, inspired by dreams, science, mythology and chance. The artist emigrated many times - he stayed in France, the USA and, after the war, again in Europe. He collaborated with artists such as Duchamp, Tanguy, Miró and Breton. His works are in the world's major museums, including MoMA, Tate, Centre Pompidou and Guggenheim.
