239

Fernand Léger

French, 1881 - 1955

Composition, ca. 1925

gouache on paper
initialed and dated lower left: F.L. 36
According to the Comité Léger, this work was executed circa 1925, and then dated "36" around the time that Léger finally sold or gifted the artwork.
13 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. (34.9 x 20 cm.), sheet: 19 7/8 x 12 in. (50.5 x 30.5 cm.), frame: 26 3/8 x 18.4 x 1 1/2 in. (67 x 46.8 x 3.8 cm.)

  • Provenance: Galerie Simon, Paris, France
    The Waddington Galleries, England
    Private Collection, New Mexico

    This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Comité Léger on December 30, 2024, and will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné in preparation by the Comité Léger.

    Léger studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and Académie Julian in Paris but the initial influence of Impressionism soon gave way to the significant impact on his work of the early Cubism of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. From 1911 to 1914 Léger's work became increasingly abstract, and he started to limit his color to the primaries and black and white.  His most recognizable "mechanical" period, in which figures and objects are characterized by tubular, machinelike forms, began in 1917. The Fernand Léger National Museum was established in 1960, and Léger's artwork is included in multiple museum collections globally, including here in the United States, The Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
  • Condition: This work is in very good condition overall. As visible in the full-sheet image in the listing, there is minor, light-related discoloration in the margins from a previous overmat. The image area remains unaffected. A small spot of surface soiling is present at the lower right. On the verso, hinging tape remnants are visible at the corners. Overall, the sheet presents well with only modest, age-appropriate evidence of handling and prior mounting. Overall, this dynamic composition by Léger distills his fascination with the relationship between abstraction, organic curves and mechanical motifs rendered with crisp precision and balance.

    A condition report for this lot is available upon request and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.

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November 8, 2025 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

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