Fernand Lger, Les Instruments De La Passion, Derrire Le Miroir, Lithograph

Condition: Pre-Owned
Lithograph on vlin paper. Paper size: 15 x 22 inches. Excellent condition, with centerfold, as issued. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From Derrire le miroir, N 36-37-38. Published by Aim Maeght, diteur, Paris; printed by ditions Pierre Feu, Galerie Maeght, 1951. Excerpted from a Christies, New York lot essay, The life span of Derrire le Miroir was thirty-five years. Publication began in 1946. Aim Maeght, initiator of Derrire le Miroir, had already made few attempts to start publications illustrated with fine printed lithographs in colours in the years prior to the launch of Derrire le Miroir. The name, Derrire le Miroir was suggested by Jacques Kober, manager of Galerie Maeght. The gallery had opened in 1945; the first number of Derrire le Miroir was released a year later. For this first issue Geer van Velde was invited to create lithographs to illustrate the publication. The lithographs in the first issue was printed by Mourlot, Paris. The first three issues of Derrire le Miroir were unsuccessful for Maeght as far as the edition sizethe initial print-runs were far too large. From 30,000 for the first issue, the number was taken down to 10,000 for numbers two and three, until Derrire le Miroir number four was published in an edition of 1500. Maeght instituted a policy whereby unsold issues were recycled and used for the fabrication of new paper for the coming editionsthis served to both conserve resources and also usually result in ultimate edition sizes far less than 1,500. With number four, the permanent format for Derrire le Miroir was established. Lithographs in colours were key; text was limited to comments on the featuring artist's exhibition taking place in the Galerie Maeght, and this catalogue format was defining to Derrire le Miroir. Galerie Maeght took on the leading role in Paris and presented all main artists including Braque, Matisse, Chagall, Lger, Bonnard, Chillida and many more. So too did Derrire le Miroir. The idea of a magazine was meanwhile still on the mind of Aim Maeght. He found an insert as a solution. Two, and later four, pages of art review were inserted from 1952 onwards. In 1968 this find had ripened to independency and the dream of Aim Maeght was now a tangible fact named l'Art vivant. Derrire le Miroir was on it's own again. Over 250 issues in a row. At that point publisher Aim Maeght wished to make a mark with the publication of an hommage to all who once contributed to the magazine which came in the form of issue number 250, but was delayed by the death of Aim Maeght. It was published after number 253 in 1982 and became a tribute to Aim and Margurite Maeght and 35 years of friendship with artists and poets. The era of Derrire le Miroir was closed with that final publication.

FERNAND LEGER (1881-1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style. His boldly simplified treatment of modern subject matter has caused him to be regarded as a forerunner of pop art. Lger was born in Argentan, Orne, Lower Normandy, where his father raised cattle. Fernand Lger initially trained as an architect from 1897 to 1899, before moving in 1900 to Paris, where he supported himself as an architectural draftsman. After military service in Versailles, Yvelines, in 19021903, he enrolled at the School of Decorative Arts after his application to the cole des Beaux-Arts was rejected. He nevertheless attended the Beaux-Arts as a non-enrolled student, spending what he described as "three empty and useless years" studying with Grme and others, while also studying at the Acadmie Julian. He began to work seriously as a painter only at the age of 25. At this point his work showed the influence of impressionism, as seen in Le Jardin de ma mre (My Mother's Garden) of 1905, one of the few paintings from this period that he did not later destroy. A new emphasis on drawing and geometry appeared in Lger's work after he saw the Czanne retrospective at the Salon d'Automne in 1907. In 1909, he moved to Montparnasse and met Alexander Archipenko, Jacques Lipchitz, Marc Chagall, Joseph Csaky and Robert Delaunay. In 1910, he exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in the same room (salle VIII) as Jean Metzinger and Henri Le Fauconnier. In his major painting of this period, Nudes in the Forest, Lger displays a personal form of Cubism that his critics termed "Tubism" for its emphasis on cylindrical forms. In 1911, the hanging committee of the Salon des Indpendants placed together the painters identified as 'Cubists'. Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Le Fauconnier, Delaunay and Lger were responsible for revealing Cubism to the general public for the first time as an organized group. The following year he again exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and Indpendants with the Cubists, and joined with several artists, including Le Fauconnier, Metzinger, Gleizes, Francis Picabia and the Duchamp brothers, Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Marcel Duchamp to form the Puteaux Groupalso called the Section d'Or (The Golden Section) paintings, from then until 1914, became increasingly abstract. Their tubular, conical, and cubed forms are laconically rendered in rough patches of primary colors plus green, black and white, as seen in the series of paintings with the title Contrasting Forms. Lger made no use of the collage technique pioneered by Braque and Picasso.
Product Disclaimer: Please review the full description and photos. Lithographs may be plate-signed, hand-signed, or slab-signed and can include a COA (see images); edition numbers shown may vary from the one shipped. Pricing reflects signature type—hand-signed pieces carry a premium and are clearly labeled. 'After' or 'nach' indicates an authorised lithographic reproduction in the style of the named artist, not a unique original. For inquiries, please reach out to support@seuyco.com. By registering for or placing a bid in any SEUYCO auction, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to our Shipping, Payment, and Auction Policies.