Special: Max Papart
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Special Sale: Monday 17 September at 6 pm in Stockholm
Uppsala Auktionskammare is very pleased to present a special sale on September 17 at Nybrogatan 20 in Stockholm, where over 50 works by Max Papart will be included. Most of the works in this sale have been acquired directly from the artist and date from different periods in Papart’s life, showing his greatness both as a printmaker and painter. Max Papart’s artistry is characterized by a vibrant joy, playfulness and a rare and notable symphony of shape, line and colour.
Unlike many artists of the 20th century, Max Papart managed to learn from and bring together different epochs and styles, early recognized for his characteristic figures, initially strikingly realistic and later increasingly naivistic and simplified. The auction contains a number of Max Papart’s earlier works, executed during the 1950’s and early 1960’s when Papart was living in Paris but often travelled to Italy or the French Riviera. During his travels, he devoted himself to studying traditional old cultures, and in the paintings that emerged at the end of this decade, clear influences from the Aztecs appear – almost abstract compositions painted with musty colours such as dark red, yellow and earthy brown, shown in lot number 16 and lot number 36. Max Papart explained his thoughts on the importance of the composition with the words: “from Cézanne and cubism to abstract art, the composition plays an increasingly important role”.
Papart was born in Marseille, a coastal city situated in south-eastern France, and was from an early age inspired by the sun-drenched coastal landscape and the dazzling colours of the nature. During the following decades his artistry evolved towards the use of an increasingly playful palette where obvious motifs depicted were the view of a shimmering sea, flying pigeons, happy musicians and circus artists, still life often combined with colourful sceneries and characteristic figures. The collocation of materials often in the shape of collages with different textures gives a sense of depth but also invites the viewer to peak through a window showing both past and presence. Particularly distinguished in the auction is the monumental work “Romance Lady” (lot 26), executed in 1982 with oil, collage and sand. The work shows Papart’s entire spectrum as an artist – an ingenious composition of vibrant colours, hard and soft surfaces, letters and pure abstraction. The contrasts are found in several of the works included in this sale where each composition conveys a special emotion. Papart said that his works “force the viewer to think, and it is up to the viewer to react to the art based on his or her own personal experiences.”Max Papart was recognized early in his career as a very talented printmaker and studied classical graphic techniques in the 1930’s in Paris. The auction contains a number of colourful etchings with carborundum, a technique invented by the artist’s close friend Henri Goetz, admired by Joan Miró, and something Papart continued to further develop in the 1960’s. The graphical works made under the hand of Max Papart were often printed at Crommelynck et Dutrou, as were several of Joan Miró’s lithographs and carborundum etchings. Max Papart’s vivid prints radiate an unusual imagination and sense of colour and shape, just like his original works in oil, gouache or collage.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Max Papart’s reputation was widely spread internationally and he participated in a number of important exhibitions both in France and abroad. He frequently visited Sweden and exhibited his works both in Stockholm and Malmö several times. Most of the works included in the special sale conducted on September 17 have never previously been auctioned, offering a great opportunity to acquire paintings, collage, graphic works and a bronze sculpture by one of the 20th century’s most exciting artists.
Warmly welcome to visit our viewing in Stockholm and enjoy all the items included in the special sale!
Viewing: 13-17 September, weekdays 10 am – 6 pm, weekend 11 am – 5 pm.
Auction: Monday 17 September at 6 pm
Location: Nybrogatan 20 Stockholm
For more information
Jeanna Ahlin | +46 (0) 734-32 41 45 | ahlin@uppsalaauktion.se