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Artworks
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Photo credit: Jacob Snavely
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Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning playing chess with a version of the present work, Sedona, Arizona, 1948
Max Ernst Germany, 1891-1976
Schachfiguren (Chess Set), 1944 (1960s)Walnut and maple woodHeight of Queens: 14.5 cm (5¾ in.); height of Pawns: 5.1 cm (2 in.)Each King inscribed 'Max Ernst,' numbered '5/12' and with the Maison Nordmark monogram51328© 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, ParisFurther images
Conceived in 1944 and executed in an edition of 12 by Maison Nordmark beginning in 1944. The present work is number 5 from the edition and was likely executed in...Conceived in 1944 and executed in an edition of 12 by Maison Nordmark beginning in 1944. The present work is number 5 from the edition and was likely executed in the 1960s. The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Dr. Jürgen Pech.This elegant chess set, conceived by Max Ernst in 1944, exemplifies the simplicity, organic lines, and prominence of natural materials that define the mid-century modern design aesthetic. Well known for his contributions to the Dada and Surrealist movements, Ernst departed from their emphasis on fantastical imagery to create the present work, in which he abstracted attributes of each piece to maintain an overall clean design that synthesizes form and function. For instance, the bishop is composed of an ovoid form that represents the ceremonial miter, while the knight features a graceful curve that evokes the arch of a horse’s neck. Ernst and his wife, fellow Surrealist Dorothea Tanning, played chess with a version of the present work at their residence in Sedona, Arizona.
Provenance
Arne Ekstrom (Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery), New York
Jules and Gladys Reiner (acquired from the above circa the 1960s; sale: Sotheby's New York, November 6, 2015, lot 130)
Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerLiterature
Exhibition Catalogue: New York, The Jewish Museum, Max Ernst: Sculpture and Recent Paintings, 1966, illustrated p. 41 (another set illustrated)
W. Spies, S. Metken and G. Metken, Max Ernst Werke 1939-1953, Cologne, 1987, no. 2470-1, illustrated p. 89 (another set illustrated)
J. Pech, Max Ernst. The King playing with the Queen, Berlin, 2002, illustrated pp. 21 and 26 (another set illustrated)
Exhibition Catalogue: Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou and Düsseldorf, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Max Ernst, Sculptures, maisons, paysages, 1998, illustrated p. 134 (another set illustrated)
