Lot #1513: MARC CHAGALL - Cheval bleu et amoureux - Watercolor, gouache, ink, and pencil drawing on paper

   

Artist: Marc Chagall (Russian/French, 1887 - 1985).
Title: "Cheval bleu et amoureux".
Medium: Watercolor, gouache, ink, and pencil drawing on paper.
Date: Composed c1965.
Dimensions: Overall size: 10 3/16 x 8 1/8 in. (259 x 206 mm). Image size: 10 3/16 x 8 1/8 in. (259 x 206 mm).
Pricing:
  Starting Price: $30,000
  Reserve Price: N.A.
  Auction Sale Price Estimate: $40,000/50,000
Lot Note(s): Hand-signed, lower left; gallery and collector stamps, verso. Painted on cream wove paper. Fine condition; never hinged; no tears, foxing, holes, etc. Collector stamps verso. Presents extremely well. A Letter of Authenticity (LOA) accompanies the work. If you have a bona fide interest in bidding on this lot kindly send an email to: [email protected] for provenance information and additional image(s).
Comment(s): In recent years Chagall’s works have consistently sold higher than realistic pre-sale estimates. A Chagall watercolor, gouache, and ink drawing on paper, “L’oiseau bleu au-dessus du village,” similar to our example in composition, medium, date, and dimension, sold for $149,000 on pre-sale estimates of $50,000/$70,000 at Christie's New York, 05/15/2015, lot #1103. A Chagall watercolor, gouache, crayon, ink, and pencil drawing on paper, “Autour du ‘Peintreau coq rouge,’” similar to our example in composition, medium, date, and dimension, sold for $118,750 on pre-sale estimates of $70,000/$100,000 at Christie’s New York, 11/12/2019, lot #204.Chagall, considered one of the foremost artists of the 20th Century, probably painted this work in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Southeastern France. Picasso, who lived near Chagall during his years in his beloved Côte d’Azur town, once spoke to Francoise Gilot of his palette: “When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color is…His canvases are really painted, not just tossed together. Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has.” (quoted in Francoise Gilot, Life with Picasso, New York, 1989, p. 282). Image copyright © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York City. [30534-2-30000-NA]