Lot Essay
This painting is sold in its original stretcher and frame.
Efstratios Eleftheriades, known to all simply as 'Tériade', was born on the island of Lesbos (Mytilene), Greece in 1897. He moved to Paris in 1915 to study law, but soon became bored by his studies, preferring to spend his time visiting the Louvre, the few small art galleries in the city and the cafes frequented by artists and the literati. During this period he developed strong relationships with those leading artists with whom he would work closely for the rest of his life. In 1926 he joined his fellow countryman Christian Zervos at his newly founded Cahiers d'Art and was put in charge of the modern section of the journal. He became an art critic, writing for several publications. He joined forces with Albert Skira and began to issue fine illustrated books and to publish Minotaure, the leading voice of the Surrealist Movement. Finally, in 1937, Tériade turned to the founding and furthering of his own publishing ventures, and Verve was born. Verve published the graphic works of Picasso, Matisse, Miro and many others between 1937 and 1975.
"The fact that an important painting by Joaquin Torres-García has surfaced in Europe after more than half a century, highlights the way in which the history of Modern art has dealt with painters who, like Torres-García, transcended different nationalities and cultures.
Once Torres-García left Europe, to carry out his dream of creating a Modern art for the Americas, it took much longer for his name to return to its proper place among the Masters who forged the first manifestations of Modern art.
In fact, in 1931, the year Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro was painted, Torres-García exhibited alongside Jean Arp, Max Ernst and Lurçat at Galerie Jeanne Bucher. Another group exhibition, at the Galerie Georges Petit, showed the work of Torres-García, Dalí, Giacometti, Laurens, Masson, Miró, Ernst and Zadkine. He had individual shows at Galerie Jeanne Bucher and at Perciers. The works of Torres-García were purchased by important private collectors such as André Level, Alphonse Kahn and A.E. Gallatin. The art critics also took a lot of interest in his work. J. Raynal, J. Cassou, Waldermar George and Tériade all wrote about him.
Tériade, who bought Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro from Torres-García, wrote in his February 1931 article for L'Intransigeant that "the paintings of Torres-García place him particularly close to Klee and Kandinsky". In October of the same year, he wrote "...these compositions passionnés remind us of the façades of gothic cathedrals". He could have easily been talking about Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro."
Cecilia de Torres
New York
March 24, 1996
Efstratios Eleftheriades, known to all simply as 'Tériade', was born on the island of Lesbos (Mytilene), Greece in 1897. He moved to Paris in 1915 to study law, but soon became bored by his studies, preferring to spend his time visiting the Louvre, the few small art galleries in the city and the cafes frequented by artists and the literati. During this period he developed strong relationships with those leading artists with whom he would work closely for the rest of his life. In 1926 he joined his fellow countryman Christian Zervos at his newly founded Cahiers d'Art and was put in charge of the modern section of the journal. He became an art critic, writing for several publications. He joined forces with Albert Skira and began to issue fine illustrated books and to publish Minotaure, the leading voice of the Surrealist Movement. Finally, in 1937, Tériade turned to the founding and furthering of his own publishing ventures, and Verve was born. Verve published the graphic works of Picasso, Matisse, Miro and many others between 1937 and 1975.
"The fact that an important painting by Joaquin Torres-García has surfaced in Europe after more than half a century, highlights the way in which the history of Modern art has dealt with painters who, like Torres-García, transcended different nationalities and cultures.
Once Torres-García left Europe, to carry out his dream of creating a Modern art for the Americas, it took much longer for his name to return to its proper place among the Masters who forged the first manifestations of Modern art.
In fact, in 1931, the year Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro was painted, Torres-García exhibited alongside Jean Arp, Max Ernst and Lurçat at Galerie Jeanne Bucher. Another group exhibition, at the Galerie Georges Petit, showed the work of Torres-García, Dalí, Giacometti, Laurens, Masson, Miró, Ernst and Zadkine. He had individual shows at Galerie Jeanne Bucher and at Perciers. The works of Torres-García were purchased by important private collectors such as André Level, Alphonse Kahn and A.E. Gallatin. The art critics also took a lot of interest in his work. J. Raynal, J. Cassou, Waldermar George and Tériade all wrote about him.
Tériade, who bought Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro from Torres-García, wrote in his February 1931 article for L'Intransigeant that "the paintings of Torres-García place him particularly close to Klee and Kandinsky". In October of the same year, he wrote "...these compositions passionnés remind us of the façades of gothic cathedrals". He could have easily been talking about Composición Constructiva en Blanco y Negro."
Cecilia de Torres
New York
March 24, 1996