73
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ROMARE BEARDEN (1911 - 1988)
Group of 4 early collages.
Each colored wove papers, 1958-59. Each 178x178 mm; 7x7 inches.
Untitled (Blue and Brown on
Black)
. Initialed in pencil, upper right. *
Untitled (Ultramarine and Green on Blue)
. Initialed and dated
58 in pencil, lower right. *
Untitled (Black on Red)
. Initialed and dated 58 in pencil, lower left. *
Untitled (Blue, Green and Veridian on Black)
. Initaled and dated 58 in pencil, lower left.
Provenance: acquired at Christie’s, NewYork, January 17, 2008; private NewYork collection.
These striking, colorful collages are a very early group of works by Bearden, clearly inspired by
Matisse. Bearden experimented with collage well before his seminal series of photomontage in 1964.
Unlike some of his earliest known collages, including the more painterly
Harlequin
, 1956, these
“cut-outs” are simple designs of bird-like forms made only with paper. In other early collages dated
to 1961, Bearden used colored papers cut-outs to construct fanciful circus scenes. Fine pp. 26-28.
[12,000/18,000]