Picasso, L Autruche, Histoire naturelle (after)

1970

This exquisite lithograph after Georges Braque (1882–1963), titled Trois oiseaux sur fond bleu (Three Birds on a Blue Background), from Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, ...

This exquisite lithograph after Georges Braque (1882–1963), titled Deux oiseaux sur fond bleu (Two Birds on a Blue Background), from Carnets intime...

This exquisite lithograph after Georges Braque (1882–1963), titled L’Oiseau volant (The Flying Bird), from Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, Vol. VIII, No. 31–32, origina...

This exquisite lithograph after Georges Braque (1882–1963), titled Oiseaux sur fond bleu (Birds on a Blue Background), from Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, Vol. VIII, No. 31–32, originates from the 1955 issue published by Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, under the direction of Teriade, Editeur, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1955. This serene and evocative composition reflects Braque’s lifelong fascination with the motif of birds—symbols of freedom, transcendence, and spiritual equilibrium. Oiseaux sur fond bleu captures the artist’s delicate synthesis of abstraction and nature, where the silhouettes of birds emerge in lyrical harmony against a radiant blue field. The image embodies Braque’s mature artistic vision: a perfect balance between movement and stillness, light and shadow, emotion and intellect. Executed as a lithograph on velin du Marais paper, this work measures 14 x 10.5 inches (35.56 x 26.67 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the superior craftsmanship of the Mourlot Freres atelier, renowned for its collaborations with the foremost modern artists of the 20th century. Artwork Details: Artist: After Georges Braque (1882–1963) Title: Oiseaux sur fond bleu (Birds on a Blue Background), from Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, Vol. VIII, No. 31–32, 1955 Medium: Lithograph on velin du Marais paper Dimensions: 14 x 10.5 inches (35.56 x 26.67 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1955 Publisher: Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, under the direction of Teriade, Editeur, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, Vol. VIII, No. 31–32, published by Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, 1955 Notes: Excerpted from the album (translated from French), The illustrations in this album are printed from the sketch-books—carnets de travail—which Georges Braque has been keeping up for thirty years and more, and which constitute a daily record of fragments of the visible world that have caught his attention and ideas for paintings that have occurred to him. In fact the only difference between these sketch-books and the diaries kept by so many writers is that here the entries are not written but take the form of gouache or watercolor sketches. Hitherto Braque has always refused to make public these albums, which he takes with him wherever he goes and which comprise the bulk of his work as a draftsman. Now at long last he has authorized the printing of a number of pages of these albums, selected by himself with our co-operation. About the Publication: Carnets intimes (Private Sketchbooks), Verve, Vol. VIII, No. 31–32, published in 1955, represents one of the most intimate and revealing projects in Georges Braque’s career and one of the final great achievements of the legendary Verve periodical. Under the direction of Teriade, Verve became a beacon of artistic collaboration, uniting the finest artists and writers of the modern age. This special issue departs from the grand thematic volumes of previous years to offer a rare glimpse into Braque’s personal creative process. The lithographs—printed by Mourlot Freres—faithfully reproduce pages from Braque’s private sketchbooks, which span three decades of his artistic evolution. Each image captures the immediacy of his thought, the fluidity of his brush, and the disciplined spontaneity that defined his practice. The 1955 issue of Carnets intimes stands as both an artistic document and a deeply human record of the artist’s inner vision, exemplifying Verve’s enduring mission to unite art, poetry, and philosophy in perfect harmony. About the Artist: Georges Braque (1882–1963) was a French painter, printmaker, sculptor, and collagist whose visionary innovations and lifelong pursuit of balance, structure, and poetic form made him one of the most influential figures in 20th-century art. Born in Argenteuil-sur-Seine and raised in Le Havre, Braque began as a decorative painter before studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Humbert in Paris, where he absorbed the vibrant colorism of the Fauves and the structural logic of Paul Cezanne. His encounter with Pablo Picasso in 1907 led to one of the most groundbreaking collaborations in art history—the invention of Cubism—a movement that redefined visual perception by fragmenting form, rejecting single-point perspective, and reconstructing reality into a multidimensional experience. Between 1908 and 1914, Braque and Picasso revolutionized painting through Analytical Cubism, a style characterized by muted palettes, overlapping planes, and a focus on underlying structure rather than surface appearance. In 1912, Braque pioneered papier colle, the first use of collage in fine art, incorporating wallpaper and printed paper into his compositions and forever changing the relationship between art and the material world. After World War I, he returned to painting with renewed sensitivity, developing a lyrical and introspective form of Synthetic Cubism distinguished by harmony, rhythm, and a meditative sense of stillness. His still lifes, musical instruments, and interior scenes became metaphors for balance and contemplation, uniting intellect and emotion in perfect equilibrium. Immersed in the Parisian avant-garde, Braque worked alongside and exchanged ideas with Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, each of whom shared his passion for redefining the boundaries of modern art. His innovations in form, collage, and spatial construction deeply influenced later artists, including Jean Dubuffet, Nicolas de Stael, Henry Laurens, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, and Jasper Johns, shaping the course of postwar abstraction and modern design. In 1961, Braque became the first living artist to have a solo exhibition at the Louvre, a recognition of his monumental impact on modern aesthetics. His works are now housed in major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and remain sought after for their intellectual depth and timeless serenity. His highest auction record was achieved by Paysage a la Ciotat, which sold for $15.8 million at Sotheby’s, New York, in 2013, reaffirming Georges Braque’s legacy as one of the founding architects of Cubism and a master whose art continues to define the modern age. Georges Braque Oiseaux...