An Abstract Score by Richard Mortensen
Some €50,000/80,000 will be needed for The Yellow Sound, a series of 91 gouache and graphite drawings by the Danish painter Richard Mortensen (1910-1993).
by Claire Papon
Close Gazette Drouot An Abstract Score by Richard Mortensen Richard Mortensen (1910-1993), The Yellow Sound, 1957, gouache and graphite drawing from a series of 91 based on the libretto by Wassily Kandinsky, 33 x 50 cm/13 x 19.7 in. Estimate: €50,000/80,000 (the set)
Mortensen created this work in 1957, basing it on Wassily Kandinsky's eponymous 1909 libretto for the stage. While the latter, captivated by colors, dreamed of a monumental art mingling painting, music, dance, theater and literature, his chief intent was to propose a sensory experience: a journey to another world far from part of reality. The Yellow Sound was a total synthesis of forms, colors and sounds, even before he produced his first abstract work in 1910. The series here, which is accompanied by studies and archives, comes from the estate of French director Jacques Polieri (1928-2011). Fascinated by the avant-garde, he produced an initial staging of The Yellow Sound on August 6, 1975, at the Sainte-Baume shrine in Provence. The world premiere of this kaleidoscopic show took place six months later at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
This sale will also include a group of multiples and works on paper by Léopold Survage, a unique welded iron work by César, Le Bourdon (The Bumblebee), 1958 (€20,000/30,000), a Tortue (Tortoise), 1973 in patinated copper (46/100) by François-Xavier Lalanne (same estimate), and designer pieces including chairs by Jean Prouvé and Jules Leleu (1882-1961).
