Auguste Herbin (1882–1960) Composition 1930 oil on canvas 130.1 x 59.7 cm (51¼ x 23½ in.) signed 'Herbin' (lower right); dated 'Février 1930' (on the stretcher) Provenance: Galerie de l'Effort Moderne (Léonce Roseberg), Paris Karl Ströher, Darmstadt Thence by descent Sale: Sotheby's London, 8 December 1999, lot 279 Private collection, US (East Coast) (acquired at the above sale) Exhibited: Hanover, Kestner Gesellschaft, Auguste Herbin, 1967, no. 66 Dusseldorf, Kunsthalle, Auguste Herbin, Rétrospective, 1967-68, no. 63 Literature: G. Claisse, Herbin, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 667, illustrated p. 397 5-7 Dover St. London W1S 4LD T +44 (0)20 7287 7750 F +44 (0)20 7287 7751 [email protected] www.alonzakaim.com Notes: Originally a proponent of Impressionist and Fauve painting, Herbin moved to the Bateau-Lavoir studios in 1909 and became increasingly interested in Cubism. It was there that he met Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris, artists who inspired him to explore a more abstracted means of pictorial representation. In keeping with Cézanne’s call to treat nature as “the cylinder, the cone and the sphere”, Herbin began reducing his subjects into a series of cylindrical shapes. Composition is an exceptional example of Herbin’s mature Cubist-inspired imagery, depicting abstracted figures and evoking a fluid sense of energy and velocity. Unlike Braque and Picasso’s earlier monochromatic output, Herbin employs a broad palette of rich colours. Varying hues of pink, turquoise, black and cream are beautifully juxtaposed to create a spectrum of harmonious colours. Herbin’s works from this period are further marked by the appearance of black contours swaying around the geometrical forms, guiding the viewer’s eye through a more complex composition. The artist gradually embraced pure geometric abstraction, and the present painting marks one of his last major oils to retain figural references. fig. 1 A photograph of the artist in January 1956. Photo courtesy of the Musée Matisse, Nice fig. 2 Auguste Herbin, Composition (Grande vitesse), 1927, oil on canvas, 116 x 89 cm 5-7 Dover St. London W1S 4LD T +44 (0)20 7287 7750 F +44 (0)20 7287 7751 [email protected] www.alonzakaim.com .