Serge Poliakoff (1900-1969)
Artist's Resale Right ("droit de Suite"). If the … Read more Property from an Important Canadian Estate
Serge Poliakoff (1900-1969)

Composition abstraite

Details
Serge Poliakoff (1900-1969)
Composition abstraite
signé 'SERGE POLIAKOFF' (en bas à droite); daté '1951' (au dos)
huile sur toile de jute
92 x 60 cm.
Peint en 1951.

signed 'SERGE POLIAKOFF' (lower right); dated '1951' (on the reverse)
oil on burlap
36 ¼ x 23 5/8 in.
Painted in 1951.
Provenance
Hanover Gallery, Londres
Acquis auprès de celle-ci par le propriétaire actuel en 1958
Literature
in Art News and Review, 28 mai 1958.
D. Vallier, Serge Poliakoff, Paris, 1959, pl. 5 (illustré).
A. Poliakoff, Serge Poliakoff, Catalogue Raisonné, Volume I 1922-1954, Paris, 2004, No. 51-08 (illustré en couleurs p. 365).
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie du Cercle des Arts, Serge Poliakoff, 1952.
Londres, Hanover Gallery, Poliakoff, mai-juin 1958, No. 6 (illustré en couleurs au catalogue d'exposition).
Special Notice
Artist's Resale Right ("droit de Suite"). If the Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer also agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. ƒ: In addition to the regular Buyer’s premium, a commission of 5.5% inclusive of VAT of the hammer price will be charged to the buyer. It will be refunded to the Buyer upon proof of export of the lot outside the European Union within the legal time limit. (Please refer to section VAT refunds) This item will be transferred to an offsite warehouse after the sale. Please refer to department for information about storage charges and collection details. Please note that in addition to the regular Buyer’s premium, a commission of 5.5% inclusive of VAT of the hammer price will be charged to the buyer. It will be refunded to the Buyer upon proof of export of the lot outside the European Union within the legal time limit. (Please refer to section VAT refunds).

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Etienne Sallon
Etienne Sallon

Lot Essay

« L’icône, qui a une fonction liturgique, n’est pas seulement une image : à la fois fastueuse et ascétique, […] elle est avant tout une présence. L’œuvre sensorielle de Poliakoff tient indiscutablement de ces qualités propres à l’icône, faite pour que l’âme entende, voit, respire et goûte ».
Dominique Gagneux

Les toiles de Serge Poliakoff du début des années 50 témoignent d’un véritable épanouissement. L’artiste devient architecte de constructions équilibrées, à travers lesquelles formes et couleurs dialoguent en harmonie. Ici, la composition part du centre du tableau, clé de voûte autour de laquelle les volumes s’imbriquent. L’héritage de la tradition byzantine est important dans l’œuvre de l’artiste qui passe son enfance dans les églises de Moscou où l’emmène sa mère. La peinture d’icônes représente une influence clé chez Poliakoff, dont la technique s’inspire de la superposition des couches de pigments purs propre au genre. Composition reflète ainsi l’importance de l’héritage russe de l’artiste, qui se traduit notamment dans la juxtaposition des espaces, évoquant les icones de son enfance. Invitant à l’intériorité, la toile, silencieuse laisse le jeu des formes s’exprimer en sérénité, illustrant la mesure du peintre.

"An icon, which has a liturgical function, is not just an image: it is both lavish and ascetic […] It is a presence above all. The sensorial work of Poliakoff undeniably embodies those qualities of religious icons; his art was made for the soul to hear, see, breathe and taste." Dominique Gagneux

Serge Poliakoff's canvases from the early 1950s show a true blossoming. The artist becomes the architect of balanced structures, through which shapes and colours engage in a harmonious dialogue. Here, the composition starts in the centre of the painting, the keystone around which the volumes are built up. The legacy of the Byzantine tradition is important in the artist's body of work as he spent his childhood in the Moscow churches which his mother took him to visit. Icon painting was a major influence on Poliakoff, whose technique was inspired by the overlapping of layers of pure pigments which characterised the genre. Thus, Composition reflects the importance of the artist’s Russian heritage, which can be seen in particular in the juxtaposition of spaces which evokes the icons of his childhood. The canvas encourages an inner focus; its silence allows the interplay of shapes to express themselves calmly, illustrating the painter's restraint.

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