Lot 53 
Raumbeispiel
53
Serge Poliakoff
Bleu (Composition), 1957.
Oil on laminated wood
Estimate:
€ 200,000 - 300,000
$ 226,000 - 339,000
Bleu (Composition). 1957.
Oil on laminated wood.
Signed in the lower right. 88.5 x 116 cm (34.8 x 45.6 in).
• A rare composition built on the interplay between two colors and their nuances.
• Interlocking edgy color fields of different shapes, the artist creates striking impasto forms with an appealing surface structure.
• Shortly after the work was created, it became part of the critical collection of Dr. Franz Meyer, Zurich. It remained in his son's collection, the former director of the Kunsthalle Bern and the Kunstmuseum Basel, until 1994.
• Since the year of its creation, it has been part of numerous museum exhibitions in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
• The vibrant paintings from the 1950s are the most sought-after works by the artist on the international auction market (source: artprice.com).
• Important museum collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Tate Modern, London, the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, own similar works.
Accompanied by a written confirmation of authenticity issued by Alexis Poliakoff on October 2, 1997.
PROVENANCE: Galerie Bing, Paris.
Marguerite Meyer-Mahler (1898-1990) and Dr. Franz Meyer (1889-1962) Collection, Zurich (acquired from the above in 1957 or 1958).
Dr. Franz Meyer (1919–2007) Collection, Zurich (inherited from the above in 1962, until 1994)
Galerie Française, Munich.
Private collection, South Germany (acquired from the above in 1997).
Family-owned ever since.
EXHIBITION: Serge Poliakoff, Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich, Aug./Sept. 1957, cat. no. 4 (illustrated in color, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the reverse).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstverein in Hamburg, Apr. 12 - May 18, 1958, cat. no. 71 (illustrated, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the stretcher).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunsthalle Bern, Apr. 9 - May 15, 1960, cat. no. 80.
Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay et Serge Poliakoff, Musée Rath - Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva, Apr. 4 - May 3, 1964, cat. no. 9 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher bars).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, June 11 - July 31, 1966, cat. no. 48.
Serge Poliakoff, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, Sep. 22 - November 16, 1970, cat. no. 51 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher, typographically inscribed and with incorrect information on the date).
LITERATURE: Alexis Poliakoff, Serge Poliakoff. Catalogue raisonné, vol. 2: 1955-1958, Paris 2010, p. 189, no. 57-46 (illustrated).
- -
Giuseppe Marchiori, Serge Poliakoff, Paris 1976, p. 68 (illustrated, with errnoneous information).
Christie's, London, Contemporary Art, Dec. 1, 1994, lot 18 (full-page illustration on p. 37).
Called up: June 6, 2025 - ca. 19.14 h +/- 20 min.
Oil on laminated wood.
Signed in the lower right. 88.5 x 116 cm (34.8 x 45.6 in).
• A rare composition built on the interplay between two colors and their nuances.
• Interlocking edgy color fields of different shapes, the artist creates striking impasto forms with an appealing surface structure.
• Shortly after the work was created, it became part of the critical collection of Dr. Franz Meyer, Zurich. It remained in his son's collection, the former director of the Kunsthalle Bern and the Kunstmuseum Basel, until 1994.
• Since the year of its creation, it has been part of numerous museum exhibitions in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
• The vibrant paintings from the 1950s are the most sought-after works by the artist on the international auction market (source: artprice.com).
• Important museum collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Tate Modern, London, the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, own similar works.
Accompanied by a written confirmation of authenticity issued by Alexis Poliakoff on October 2, 1997.
PROVENANCE: Galerie Bing, Paris.
Marguerite Meyer-Mahler (1898-1990) and Dr. Franz Meyer (1889-1962) Collection, Zurich (acquired from the above in 1957 or 1958).
Dr. Franz Meyer (1919–2007) Collection, Zurich (inherited from the above in 1962, until 1994)
Galerie Française, Munich.
Private collection, South Germany (acquired from the above in 1997).
Family-owned ever since.
EXHIBITION: Serge Poliakoff, Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich, Aug./Sept. 1957, cat. no. 4 (illustrated in color, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the reverse).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstverein in Hamburg, Apr. 12 - May 18, 1958, cat. no. 71 (illustrated, with the exhibition label inscribed by hand on the stretcher).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunsthalle Bern, Apr. 9 - May 15, 1960, cat. no. 80.
Jean Arp, Sonia Delaunay et Serge Poliakoff, Musée Rath - Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva, Apr. 4 - May 3, 1964, cat. no. 9 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher bars).
Serge Poliakoff, Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, June 11 - July 31, 1966, cat. no. 48.
Serge Poliakoff, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, Sep. 22 - November 16, 1970, cat. no. 51 (with the exhibition label on the stretcher, typographically inscribed and with incorrect information on the date).
LITERATURE: Alexis Poliakoff, Serge Poliakoff. Catalogue raisonné, vol. 2: 1955-1958, Paris 2010, p. 189, no. 57-46 (illustrated).
- -
Giuseppe Marchiori, Serge Poliakoff, Paris 1976, p. 68 (illustrated, with errnoneous information).
Christie's, London, Contemporary Art, Dec. 1, 1994, lot 18 (full-page illustration on p. 37).
Called up: June 6, 2025 - ca. 19.14 h +/- 20 min.
At a time when post-war art was in search of new forms of expression, new styles, and new subjects, Serge Poliakoff gained widespread recognition for his compositions, which were still highly unconventional in European art at a time when figurative painting was unable to meet the demand for renewal and its forms and artistic potential seemed exhausted, with the result that artists embarked on an introspective search for new strength and inspiration. Poliakoff's oeuvre perfectly captures the spirit of the time, which is why he is considered one of the most important artists of the so-called Nouvelle École de Paris, whose representatives, including Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier, Hans Hartung, and Pierre Soulages, shared the common goal of pushing the boundaries of abstract painting in Paris. In 1938, the artist presented his first abstract work at the Salon des Indépendants and soon discovered his individual and highly characteristic abstract style in the following years. Today, he is considered one of the most important protagonists of European Color Field Painting.
Poliakoff's compositions are based on a framework of jagged, irregular forms, occasionally filled with intense colors and sometimes with more delicate colors, which he arranges to create an interlocking structure resembling a puzzle. Free from external, social, or geographical influences, Poliakoff created a pictorial cosmos that anyone can enter through a thorough examination of the work of art. In doing so, Poliakoff often played with the effects of his bold colors or the delicate, subtly graded nuances: Some of his works show a combination of strongly contrasting colors, while others feature only a few small, bold accents accompanied by a harmonious color scheme. He also explored the potential and effects of using just one or two different color groups, as in the work offered here. In “Bleu,” the artist finds a wealth of nuances in combining an intense royal blue and white, which cover the entire impasto pictorial surface —his experimental use of color results in a particularly animated and vibrant surface texture. Several layers of thickly applied paint are superimposed, forming furrows and elevated structures, allowing the tonality of the underlying layers to shimmer through here and there and leading the eye, with the visible brushstrokes, to the expressive blue swirl in the center of the painting. [CH]
Serge Poliakoff, Composition, 1957, tempera on plywood, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025
Poliakoff's compositions are based on a framework of jagged, irregular forms, occasionally filled with intense colors and sometimes with more delicate colors, which he arranges to create an interlocking structure resembling a puzzle. Free from external, social, or geographical influences, Poliakoff created a pictorial cosmos that anyone can enter through a thorough examination of the work of art. In doing so, Poliakoff often played with the effects of his bold colors or the delicate, subtly graded nuances: Some of his works show a combination of strongly contrasting colors, while others feature only a few small, bold accents accompanied by a harmonious color scheme. He also explored the potential and effects of using just one or two different color groups, as in the work offered here. In “Bleu,” the artist finds a wealth of nuances in combining an intense royal blue and white, which cover the entire impasto pictorial surface —his experimental use of color results in a particularly animated and vibrant surface texture. Several layers of thickly applied paint are superimposed, forming furrows and elevated structures, allowing the tonality of the underlying layers to shimmer through here and there and leading the eye, with the visible brushstrokes, to the expressive blue swirl in the center of the painting. [CH]
Ida Chagall, Marcelle Poliakoff, Franz Meyer and Serge Poliakoff in Bern, 1960.
53
Serge Poliakoff
Bleu (Composition), 1957.
Oil on laminated wood
Estimate:
€ 200,000 - 300,000
$ 226,000 - 339,000
Buyer's premium, taxation and resale right compensation for Serge Poliakoff "Bleu (Composition)"
This lot can be purchased subject to differential or regular taxation, artist‘s resale right compensation is due.
Differential taxation:
Hammer price up to 800,000 €: herefrom 32 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 800,000 € is subject to a premium of 27 % and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 800,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 22 % and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The buyer's premium contains VAT, however, it is not shown.
Regular taxation:
Hammer price up to 800,000 €: herefrom 27 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 800,000 € is subject to a premium of 21% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 800,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 15% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The statutory VAT of currently 7 % is levied to the sum of hammer price and premium.
We kindly ask you to notify us before invoicing if you wish to be subject to regular taxation.
Calculation of artist‘s resale right compensation:
For works by living artists, or by artists who died less than 70 years ago, a artist‘s resale right compensation is levied in accordance with Section 26 UrhG:
4 % of hammer price from 400.00 euros up to 50,000 euros,
another 3 % of the hammer price from 50,000.01 to 200,000 euros,
another 1 % for the part of the sales proceeds from 200,000.01 to 350,000 euros,
another 0.5 % for the part of the sale proceeds from 350,000.01 to 500,000 euros and
another 0.25 % of the hammer price over 500,000 euros.
The maximum total of the resale right fee is EUR 12,500.
The artist‘s resale right compensation is VAT-exempt.
Differential taxation:
Hammer price up to 800,000 €: herefrom 32 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 800,000 € is subject to a premium of 27 % and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 800,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 22 % and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The buyer's premium contains VAT, however, it is not shown.
Regular taxation:
Hammer price up to 800,000 €: herefrom 27 % premium.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 800,000 € is subject to a premium of 21% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 800,000 €.
The share of the hammer price exceeding 4,000,000 € is subject to a premium of 15% and is added to the premium of the share of the hammer price up to 4,000,000 €.
The statutory VAT of currently 7 % is levied to the sum of hammer price and premium.
We kindly ask you to notify us before invoicing if you wish to be subject to regular taxation.
Calculation of artist‘s resale right compensation:
For works by living artists, or by artists who died less than 70 years ago, a artist‘s resale right compensation is levied in accordance with Section 26 UrhG:
4 % of hammer price from 400.00 euros up to 50,000 euros,
another 3 % of the hammer price from 50,000.01 to 200,000 euros,
another 1 % for the part of the sales proceeds from 200,000.01 to 350,000 euros,
another 0.5 % for the part of the sale proceeds from 350,000.01 to 500,000 euros and
another 0.25 % of the hammer price over 500,000 euros.
The maximum total of the resale right fee is EUR 12,500.
The artist‘s resale right compensation is VAT-exempt.
Headquarters
Joseph-Wild-Str. 18
81829 Munich
Phone: +49 89 55 244-0
Fax: +49 89 55 244-177
info@kettererkunst.de
Louisa von Saucken / Christoph Calaminus
Holstenwall 5
20355 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 37 49 61-0
Fax: +49 40 37 49 61-66
infohamburg@kettererkunst.de
Dr. Simone Wiechers / Nane Schlage
Fasanenstr. 70
10719 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 88 67 53-63
Fax: +49 30 88 67 56-43
infoberlin@kettererkunst.de
Cordula Lichtenberg
Gertrudenstraße 24-28
50667 Cologne
Phone: +49 221 510 908-15
infokoeln@kettererkunst.de
Hessen
Rhineland-Palatinate
Miriam Heß
Phone: +49 62 21 58 80-038
Fax: +49 62 21 58 80-595
infoheidelberg@kettererkunst.de
We will inform you in time.