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FERNAND LEGER (1881-1955)

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<div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div> <div>Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934. </div>
Composition orange et noir193736 1/8 x 23 1/2 in.(91.76 x 59.69 cm) oil on canvas
Provenance
Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
Collection M. Praejer, Paris
Collection Guisez, Saint-Emilion
Private Collection, Hesse (since 2000)
Karl & Faber Kunstauktionen GmbH: Thursday, December 5, 2024, Lot 731
Private Collection, acquired from the above
Exhibition
Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, archive no. 06990/6938, on the reverse on the stretcher with the label
Literature
George Bauquier et al., Fernand Léger: catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, 1932-1937, vol. V. Paris, 1996, no. 934
 Price285,000
Fernand Léger’s "Composition orange et noir" (1937)—translated as "Orange and Black Composition"—marks a significant moment in the artist’s evolving exploration of form and subject matter. Painted during the 1930s, the work reflects Léger’s shift away from the rigid “mécanique” language of his earlier career toward more organic shapes and motifs, while still retaining the influence of industrial design. The composition is structured by bold bands of black, fawn brown, and orange, which create a circular framework. Yet within this framework, the interior elements strain against containment: pale brown cylinders evoke wooden logs, while loose black whips suggest seaweed, sticks, or leaves, imbuing the work with a sense of dynamic, natural movement.


 


This interplay between organic and inorganic elements recalls the found objects Léger collected during his walks on his farm in Normandy, translating everyday material forms into abstract pictorial language. At the same time, the work belongs to an important period of international recognition for the artist, when he was exhibiting prominently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Kunsthalle Zürich. "Composition orange et noir" thus encapsulates Léger’s unique ability to synthesize the mechanical and the natural into a unified, yet playfully experimental, vision. The work is included in the artist's catalogue raisonné by Georges Bauquier for works from 1932-1937 as entry 934.
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