Max Ernst

Star of the Sea Étoile de mer - German French Star of the Sea

1950

MAX ERNST 1891-1976 Cologne 1891-1976 Paris (German) Title: Le parquet se soulève, 1939 (Red) Technique: A Suite of Six Original Hand Signed and hand Numbered Lithographs in Red on...

This original etching and aquatint in colours is monogrammed in pencil by the artist “M" at lower right corner. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 75, at the lo...

This exquisite lithograph by Max Ernst (1891–1976), titled Un chant damour (A Song of Love), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, No. 11 (double), Noel 1958, originates from the 1958 edition published by Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris, under the direction of Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1958. This work reflects Ernsts mature Surrealist language, merging dream, myth, and poetic abstraction into a visionary composition. Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 12.5 x 9.75 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris Artwork Details: Artist: Max Ernst (1891–1976) Title: Un chant damour (A Song of Love) Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.75 inches (31.75 x 24.77 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1958 Publisher: Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris, under the direction of Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Catalogue Raisonne Reference: Ernst, Max, et al. Max Ernst: Graphische Welten: Die Sammlung Schneppenheim. DuMont, 2003, illustration 71C Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, No. 11 (double), Noel 1958, published by Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris; printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1958 About the Publication: Gualtieri di San Lazzaros XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs and woodcuts printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris, Milan, and New York, including Mourlot, Curwen, and Amilcare Pizzi, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. The 1960 issue, XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, No. 14, showcased Daphnis et Chloe, one of Chagalls most celebrated lithographic subjects, coinciding with his work on the monumental suite of lithographs inspired by the same pastoral tale, published by Teriade. Through this publication, San Lazzaro further cemented Chagalls reputation as the modern poet of color and love, uniting myth, nature, and emotion in visual form. Today, XXe Siecle remains an essential record of 20th century modernism, celebrated for its seamless integration of fine art, literature, and design. About the Artist: Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a German-French painter, sculptor, printmaker, and poet whose groundbreaking imagination and experimental techniques made him one of the most revolutionary figures of 20th century art. A founding member of both Dada and Surrealism, Ernst dismantled traditional notions of art through chance, dream imagery, and psychological exploration, transforming painting, sculpture, and collage into instruments of the unconscious mind. Born in Bruhl, Germany, he studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Bonn before rejecting academic convention to pursue art, inspired by the Symbolists, Cubists, and the early abstractions of Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky. His traumatic experience serving in World War I left him disillusioned with logic and order, propelling him toward the Dada movement in Cologne in 1919, where he began creating his seminal collages that fused scientific diagrams and Victorian engravings into surreal dreamscapes. By 1922, Ernst had moved to Paris and joined a circle of avant garde luminaries that included Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Andre Breton, each of whom shared his fascination with the irrational and the unseen. Ernsts invention of frottage (rubbing) and grattage (scraping) revolutionized modern painting, revealing textures and hidden images beneath the surface and allowing chance to become an active participant in creation. His visionary paintings such as The Elephant Celebes (1921), Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale (1924), and Europe After the Rain II (1940–42) blend myth, science, and dream into vast symbolic landscapes that remain among the defining masterpieces of Surrealism. A restless innovator, Ernst expanded into sculpture, crafting enigmatic totemic forms such as Capricorne (1948–1963) that bridged organic abstraction and surreal fantasy, echoing the fluid equilibrium of Calders mobiles and the conceptual wit of Duchamp. Fleeing Nazi occupied France during World War II, Ernst emigrated to the United States with the support of Peggy Guggenheim, whom he later married, influencing the emerging Abstract Expressionists among them Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, and Willem de Kooning through his fusion of automatism, texture, and mythic narrative. Returning to Europe after the war, he continued to refine his poetic, alchemical approach to painting, blending chaos and order into cosmic landscapes that inspired later artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Kiki Smith. His work, housed in major museums including MoMA, the Tate, and the Centre Pompidou, stands as a testament to his belief that art could bridge the conscious and unconscious, the rational and the fantastic. Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Max Ernst remains a cornerstone of modern art an artist philosopher whose limitless curiosity reshaped visual language and influenced generations of creators. His highest auction record was achieved by Le roi jouant avec la reine (The King Playing with the Queen) (1944), which sold for approximately 24.4 million USD at Christies, New York, in November 2022, reaffirming Max Ernsts enduring legacy as one of the most visionary, provocative, and collectible masters of 20th century modernism. Max Ernst XXe Siecle 1958, Max Ernst lithograph...

Color etching on vellum. Image dimension 18x13 cm. Edition of 33/100. Hand signed in pencil. Light-stained, browned, with pinholes in two corners. Very rare.