Property from the Triton Collection Foundation
110. Germaine Richier
1902-1959
Untitled lead and coloured glass, mounted on slate 66.9 x 43.4 x 40.4 cm (26 3/8 x 17 1/8 x 15 7/8 in.) Executed in 1959, this work is unique. The lead and glass fgure was cast in 1953 and mounted by the artist on the slate element in 1959. Estimate £18,000-25,000 $25,500-35,500 €20,500-28,500 ♠ Provenance The family of the Artist Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2002 Literature Sjraar van Heugten, Avant-gardes, 1870 to the present: the Triton collection, London, 2013, p. 479 (illustrated)
The present work is exemplary of Richier’s adroit mastery of new materials and her skilled ability to capture vitality and movement of organic forms in the medium of lead. Casting her gestural fgures in her studio by pouring molten lead into hollow molds, the artist would then adorn the clay models with jewel-like fragments of coloured glass. Through the casting process, the glass shards would become submerged in the lead which she would subsequently scrape away, creating surprising and dazzling efects through the contrast of the mediums. The present work was created in 1953 and later mounted by the artist to a slate base in 1959, suggesting Richier’s careful consideration regarding the presentation of her distinctive fgures.
UK_TCA DAY_MAR18_2-59.indd 38
07/02/18 09:01