Georges Braque L’Oiseau Blanc (White Bird), 1961 presents the figure of a bird in a flattened and geometric perspective. The bird itself is white and appears to have four wings spread out in flight. The curves and straight edges composing its figure create a poetic juxtaposition. Undeniably abstract, the bird appears to even take on the form of a flower or a leaf. Viewed from afar, this animal begins to seem like a mythical creature. This structural ambiguity combines elements of Cubism and Surrealism seamlessly. Behind the bird is a deep blue background. The colors of the background wax and wane, filled with movement. Sporadic splatters and imperfect edges create a painterly effect. The simplicity in the image is its greatest charm. The poet Francis Ponge, known himself for his prose poetry, writes of the artist's greatness: "In him, no affected greatness, no paraded greatness […] A greatness of fact, irremediable, irrepressible, directly generated by the least of his drawings (Abrams, 43). So even the small-format works contain something undeniably essential of Braque.

Created in 1961, this color lithograph on Arches paper is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argentueil, Val-d’Oise, 1882 – Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right; Numbered from the edition of 75 in pencil in the lower left (there are also 15 artist’s proofs); printed by Mourlot, Paris .

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Georges Braque White Bird (L’Oiseau Blanc), 1961 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnès and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work.

1. Vallier, Dora. Braque: The Complete Graphics. New York: Gallery Books, 1982. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 176

2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this color lithograph.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standard Georges Braque White Bird (L’Oiseau Blanc), 1961 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.