Lot 53
Cornice
Raumbeispiel
53
Serge Poliakoff
Bleu (Composition), 1957.
Oil on laminated wood
Stima: € 200,000 / $ 226,000
Bleu (Composition). 1957.
Oil on laminated wood.
Signed in the lower right. 88.5 x 116 cm (34.8 x 45.6 in).
• A rare composition built on the interplay between two colors and their nuances.
• Interlocking edgy color fields of different shapes, the artist creates striking impasto forms with an appealing surface structure.
• Shortly after the work was created, it became part of the critical collection of Dr. Franz Meyer, Zurich. It remained in his son's collection, the former director of the Kunsthalle Bern and the Kunstmuseum Basel, until 1994.
• Since the year of its creation, it has been part of numerous museum exhibitions in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
• The vibrant paintings from the 1950s are the most sought-after works by the artist on the international auction market (source: artprice.com).
• Important museum collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Tate Modern, London, the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, own similar works.
Accompanied by a written confirmation of authenticity issued by Alexis Poliakoff on October 2, 1997.
PROVENANCE: Galerie Bing, Paris.
Marguerite Meyer-Mahler (1898-1990) and Dr. Franz Meyer (1889-1962) Collection, Zurich (acquired from the above in 1957 or 1958).
Dr. Franz Meyer (1919–2007) Collection, Zurich (inherited from the above in 1962, until 1994)
Galerie Française, Munich.
Private collection, South Germany (acquired from the above in 1997).
Family-owned ever since.
EXHIBITION: Serge Poliakoff, Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich, Aug./Sept. 1957, cat. no. 4 (illustrated in color, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the reverse).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstverein in Hamburg, Apr. 12 - May 18, 1958, cat. no. 71 (illustrated, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the stretcher).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunsthalle Bern, Apr. 9 - May 15, 1960, cat. no. 80.
Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay et Serge Poliakoff, Musée Rath - Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva, Apr. 4 - May 3, 1964, cat. no. 9 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher bars).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, June 11 - July 31, 1966, cat. no. 48.
Serge Poliakoff, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, Sep. 22 - November 16, 1970, cat. no. 51 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher, typographically inscribed and with incorrect information on the date).
LITERATURE: Alexis Poliakoff, Serge Poliakoff. Catalogue raisonné, vol. 2: 1955-1958, Paris 2010, p. 189, no. 57-46 (illustrated).
- -
Giuseppe Marchiori, Serge Poliakoff, Paris 1976, p. 68 (illustrated, with errnoneous information).
Christie's, London, Contemporary Art, Dec. 1, 1994, lot 18 (full-page illustration on p. 37).
Called up: June 6, 2025 - ca. 19.14 h +/- 20 min.
Oil on laminated wood.
Signed in the lower right. 88.5 x 116 cm (34.8 x 45.6 in).
• A rare composition built on the interplay between two colors and their nuances.
• Interlocking edgy color fields of different shapes, the artist creates striking impasto forms with an appealing surface structure.
• Shortly after the work was created, it became part of the critical collection of Dr. Franz Meyer, Zurich. It remained in his son's collection, the former director of the Kunsthalle Bern and the Kunstmuseum Basel, until 1994.
• Since the year of its creation, it has been part of numerous museum exhibitions in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
• The vibrant paintings from the 1950s are the most sought-after works by the artist on the international auction market (source: artprice.com).
• Important museum collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Tate Modern, London, the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, own similar works.
Accompanied by a written confirmation of authenticity issued by Alexis Poliakoff on October 2, 1997.
PROVENANCE: Galerie Bing, Paris.
Marguerite Meyer-Mahler (1898-1990) and Dr. Franz Meyer (1889-1962) Collection, Zurich (acquired from the above in 1957 or 1958).
Dr. Franz Meyer (1919–2007) Collection, Zurich (inherited from the above in 1962, until 1994)
Galerie Française, Munich.
Private collection, South Germany (acquired from the above in 1997).
Family-owned ever since.
EXHIBITION: Serge Poliakoff, Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich, Aug./Sept. 1957, cat. no. 4 (illustrated in color, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the reverse).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstverein in Hamburg, Apr. 12 - May 18, 1958, cat. no. 71 (illustrated, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the stretcher).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunsthalle Bern, Apr. 9 - May 15, 1960, cat. no. 80.
Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay et Serge Poliakoff, Musée Rath - Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva, Apr. 4 - May 3, 1964, cat. no. 9 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher bars).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, June 11 - July 31, 1966, cat. no. 48.
Serge Poliakoff, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, Sep. 22 - November 16, 1970, cat. no. 51 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher, typographically inscribed and with incorrect information on the date).
LITERATURE: Alexis Poliakoff, Serge Poliakoff. Catalogue raisonné, vol. 2: 1955-1958, Paris 2010, p. 189, no. 57-46 (illustrated).
- -
Giuseppe Marchiori, Serge Poliakoff, Paris 1976, p. 68 (illustrated, with errnoneous information).
Christie's, London, Contemporary Art, Dec. 1, 1994, lot 18 (full-page illustration on p. 37).
Called up: June 6, 2025 - ca. 19.14 h +/- 20 min.
At a time when post-war art was in search of new forms of expression, new styles, and new subjects, Serge Poliakoff gained widespread recognition for his compositions, which were still highly unconventional in European art at a time when figurative painting was unable to meet the demand for renewal and its forms and artistic potential seemed exhausted, with the result that artists embarked on an introspective search for new strength and inspiration. Poliakoff's oeuvre perfectly captures the spirit of the time, which is why he is considered one of the most important artists of the so-called Nouvelle École de Paris, whose representatives, including Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier, Hans Hartung, and Pierre Soulages, shared the common goal of pushing the boundaries of abstract painting in Paris. In 1938, the artist presented his first abstract work at the Salon des Indépendants and soon discovered his individual and highly characteristic abstract style in the following years. Today, he is considered one of the most important protagonists of European Color Field Painting.
Poliakoff's compositions are based on a framework of jagged, irregular forms, occasionally filled with intense colors and sometimes with more delicate colors, which he arranges to create an interlocking structure resembling a puzzle. Free from external, social, or geographical influences, Poliakoff created a pictorial cosmos that anyone can enter through a thorough examination of the work of art. In doing so, Poliakoff often played with the effects of his bold colors or the delicate, subtly graded nuances: Some of his works show a combination of strongly contrasting colors, while others feature only a few small, bold accents accompanied by a harmonious color scheme. He also explored the potential and effects of using just one or two different color groups, as in the work offered here. In “Bleu,” the artist finds a wealth of nuances in combining an intense royal blue and white, which cover the entire impasto pictorial surface —his experimental use of color results in a particularly animated and vibrant surface texture. Several layers of thickly applied paint are superimposed, forming furrows and elevated structures, allowing the tonality of the underlying layers to shimmer through here and there and leading the eye, with the visible brushstrokes, to the expressive blue swirl in the center of the painting. [CH]
Serge Poliakoff, Composition, 1957, tempera on plywood, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025
Poliakoff's compositions are based on a framework of jagged, irregular forms, occasionally filled with intense colors and sometimes with more delicate colors, which he arranges to create an interlocking structure resembling a puzzle. Free from external, social, or geographical influences, Poliakoff created a pictorial cosmos that anyone can enter through a thorough examination of the work of art. In doing so, Poliakoff often played with the effects of his bold colors or the delicate, subtly graded nuances: Some of his works show a combination of strongly contrasting colors, while others feature only a few small, bold accents accompanied by a harmonious color scheme. He also explored the potential and effects of using just one or two different color groups, as in the work offered here. In “Bleu,” the artist finds a wealth of nuances in combining an intense royal blue and white, which cover the entire impasto pictorial surface —his experimental use of color results in a particularly animated and vibrant surface texture. Several layers of thickly applied paint are superimposed, forming furrows and elevated structures, allowing the tonality of the underlying layers to shimmer through here and there and leading the eye, with the visible brushstrokes, to the expressive blue swirl in the center of the painting. [CH]
Ida Chagall, Marcelle Poliakoff, Franz Meyer and Serge Poliakoff in Bern, 1960.
53
Serge Poliakoff
Bleu (Composition), 1957.
Oil on laminated wood
Stima: € 200,000 / $ 226,000
Commissione, tassa e diritti di seguito
Quest'oggetto viene offerto con regime fiscale normale o con imposizione sul margine di profitto.
Calcolo commissione particolare sul margine del profitto:
- Prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 euro: provvigione del 32%.
- Per la parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione superiore a 800.000 euro si calcola una provvigione del 27%, che viene aggiunta a quella relativa alla parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 euro.
- Per la parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione superiore a 4.000.000 euro si calcola una provvigione del 22%, che viene aggiunta a quella relativa alla parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 4.000.000 euro.
La provvigione comprende l'IVA, ma questa non viene indicata.
Calcolo regime fiscale normale:
Prezzo di aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 €: supplemento del 27%.
Prezzo di aggiudicazione superiore a 800.000 €: Parte del prezzo fino a 800.000 € supplemento del 27 %, parte del prezzo che supera i 800.000 € supplemento del 21%.
Prezzo di aggiudicazione superiore a 4.000.000 €: Parte del prezzo che supera i 4.000.000 € supplemento del 15%.
L'IVA prevista dalla legge è pari al 7 % sulla somma del prezzo di aggiudicazione e del supplemento.
La preghiamo di avvisarci prima della fatturazione nel caso in cui desidera applicare il regime fiscale normale.
Calcolo diritti di seguito:
Per le opere originali di arti figurative e fotografie di artisti viventi o deceduti da meno di 70 anni soggette al diritto di seguito, in tutti i casi suddetti viene riscossa in aggiunta, a liquidazione della compensazione del diritto di seguito dovuto dalla casa d'aste ai sensi del § 26 della legge tedesca sul diritto d'autore (Urheberrechtsgesetz, UrhG), una compensazione del diritto di seguito con le percentuali indicate nel § 26 2° comma UrhG, che attualmente sono le seguenti:
4 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 400,00 euro a 50.000 euro,
un altro 3 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 50.000,01 a 200.000 Euro,
un altro 1 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 200.000,01 a 350.000 Euro,
un altro 0,5 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 350.000,01 a 500.000 euro e
un altro 0,25 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita superiore a 500.000 euro.
L’importo complessivo della compensazione del diritto di seguito derivante da una rivendita è pari al massimo a 12.500 euro.
Calcolo commissione particolare sul margine del profitto:
- Prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 euro: provvigione del 32%.
- Per la parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione superiore a 800.000 euro si calcola una provvigione del 27%, che viene aggiunta a quella relativa alla parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 euro.
- Per la parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione superiore a 4.000.000 euro si calcola una provvigione del 22%, che viene aggiunta a quella relativa alla parte del prezzo d’aggiudicazione fino a 4.000.000 euro.
La provvigione comprende l'IVA, ma questa non viene indicata.
Calcolo regime fiscale normale:
Prezzo di aggiudicazione fino a 800.000 €: supplemento del 27%.
Prezzo di aggiudicazione superiore a 800.000 €: Parte del prezzo fino a 800.000 € supplemento del 27 %, parte del prezzo che supera i 800.000 € supplemento del 21%.
Prezzo di aggiudicazione superiore a 4.000.000 €: Parte del prezzo che supera i 4.000.000 € supplemento del 15%.
L'IVA prevista dalla legge è pari al 7 % sulla somma del prezzo di aggiudicazione e del supplemento.
La preghiamo di avvisarci prima della fatturazione nel caso in cui desidera applicare il regime fiscale normale.
Calcolo diritti di seguito:
Per le opere originali di arti figurative e fotografie di artisti viventi o deceduti da meno di 70 anni soggette al diritto di seguito, in tutti i casi suddetti viene riscossa in aggiunta, a liquidazione della compensazione del diritto di seguito dovuto dalla casa d'aste ai sensi del § 26 della legge tedesca sul diritto d'autore (Urheberrechtsgesetz, UrhG), una compensazione del diritto di seguito con le percentuali indicate nel § 26 2° comma UrhG, che attualmente sono le seguenti:
4 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 400,00 euro a 50.000 euro,
un altro 3 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 50.000,01 a 200.000 Euro,
un altro 1 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 200.000,01 a 350.000 Euro,
un altro 0,5 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita da 350.000,01 a 500.000 euro e
un altro 0,25 per cento della parte del ricavo della vendita superiore a 500.000 euro.
L’importo complessivo della compensazione del diritto di seguito derivante da una rivendita è pari al massimo a 12.500 euro.