Georges Braque, Oiseaux, dans la nuit from Le tir a làrc, 1960

Artist: Georges Braque (1882 - 1963)
Title:Oiseaux, dans la nuit from Le tir à l’arc, 1960
Reference:Vallier 153
Medium:Color Lithograph on Chine Appliqué
Image Size:6 3/4 in x 4 3/4 in (17.1 cm x 21.1 cm)
Framed Size:Approx. 18 in x 16 in (45.7 cm x 40.6 cm)
Edition:Annotated 'H.C.' in pencil in the lower left margin; this work is an artist's proof aside from the numbered edition of 130.
Signature:This work is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argenteuil-sur-Seine, 1882- Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right margin.
Condition:This work is in good condition.
ID #w-4001

Historical Description

Braque's unique aesthetic is, "Unequalled in its technical integrity and animated by an interior, invisible, poetic force" (Koutsomallis, 11). The birds in this intimate work express Braque's understated visual eloquence. Returning to this figure repeatedly, Braque consistently uncovers new aspects for exploration. This pair of birds in full flight, created near the end of his career, contains a life's worth of study. With their great ballooning wings and abbreviated, calligraphic forms, they embody a sense of freedom. With unreserved exuberance, they take to the sky; the direction of their flight remains ambiguous, left open to the viewer's interpretation. This work is all the more powerful for its small scale, which requires close viewing.

Created in 1960, this original color lithograph on chine appliqué is one of eight lithographs conceived by the artist for Le tir à l'arc, published by Louis Broder, Paris. Two wood engravings were also included in this celebrated volume. Hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argenteuil-sur-Seine, 1882- Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right margin, this work is annotated 'H.C.' (hors commerce) in pencil in the lower left margin. Originally included on page 53 of the volume, this work is one of a number of artist's proofs existing aside from the numbered edition of 130.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Georges Braque Oiseaux, dans la nuit from Le tir à l’arc, 1960 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnes and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoice accompanying the final sale of the work).

1. Vallier, Dora. Braque: The Complete Graphics. New York: Gallery Books, 1982. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 153 on pp. 219, 222.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany the final sale of this work.

About the Framing:
Georges Braque Oiseaux, dans la nuit from Le tir à l’arc, 1960 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.