Max Ernst

Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst

1964

Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif III, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...

Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif IX, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...

Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif VIII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 ...

Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif XII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...

Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). Printed by Mourlot for the deluxe limited edition portfolio "Les chiens ont soif", this is one of 250 impressions on BFK Rives wove paper (the...

Pink Composition is an original artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1974. Original colored lithograph. Very Good conditions. Printed by Atelier Pierre Chave in Vence, France. This li...

Max Ernst - Composition - Original Lithograph 1958 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm XXe siècle Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Max Ernst was born in Bruhl, a place near Cologne, in Germany. He was raised in a strict Catholic family, and both of his parents were disciplinarians who were dedicated to training their children into God-fearing and talented individuals. Although his father was deaf, Ernst learned so much from him, particularly when it comes to painting. In fact, much of his early years were lived under the inspiration of his father who was also a teacher. He was the one who introduced painting to Ernst at an early age. In 1914, Ernst attended the University of Bonn where he studied philosophy. However, he eventually dropped out of school because he was more interested in the arts. He claimed that his primary sources of interest included anything that had something to do with painting. Moreover, he became fascinated with psychology, among other subjects in school. Primarily, Ernst's love for painting was the main reason why he became deeply interested with this craft and decided to pursue it later on in his life. During his early years, he became familiar with the works of some of the greatest artists of all time including Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. He was also drawn to themes such as fantasy and dream imagery, which were among the common subjects of the works of Giorgio de Chirico. During World War I, Ernst was forced to join the German Army, and he became a part of the artillery division that exposed him greatly to the drama of warfare. A soldier in the War, Ernst emerged deeply traumatized and highly critical of western culture. These charged sentiments directly fed into his vision of the modern world as irrational, an idea that became the basis of his artwork. Ernst's artistic vision, along with his humor and verve come through strongly in his Dada and Surrealists works; Ernst was a pioneer of both movements. It was Ernst's memories of the war and his childhood that helps him create absurd, yet interesting scenes in his artworks. Soon, he took his passion for the arts seriously when he returned to Germany after the war. With Jean Arp, a poet and artist, Ernst formed a group for artists in Cologne. He also developed a close relationship with fellow artists in Paris who propagated Avant-Garde artworks. In 1919, Ernst started creating some of his first collages, where he made use of various materials including illustrated catalogs and some manuals that produced a somewhat futuristic image. His unique masterpieces allowed Ernst to create his very own world of dreams and fantasy, which eventually helped heal his personal issues and trauma. In addition to painting and creating collages, Ernst also edited some journals. He also made a few sculptures that were rather queer in appearance. In 1920s, influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, they saw the rules of a society as oppressive. Surrealism also embraces a Marxist ideology that demands an orthodox approach to history as a product of the material interaction of collective interests, and many renown Surrealism artists later on became 20th century Counterculture symbols such as Marxist Che Guevara. In 1922 Ernst moved to Paris, where the surrealists were gathering around Andre Breton. In 1923 Ernst finished Men Shall Know Nothing of This, known as the first Surrealist painting. Ernst was one of the first artists who apply The Interpretation of Dreams by Freud to investigate his deep psyche in order to explore the source of his own creativity. While turning inwards unto himself, Ernst was also tapping into the universal unconscious with its common dream imagery. Despite his strange styles, Ernst gained quite a reputation that earned him some followers throughout his life. He even helped shape the trend of American art during the mid-century, thanks to his brilliant and extraordinary ideas that were unlike those of other artists during his time. Ernst also became friends with Peggy Guggenheim, which inspired him to develop close ties with the abstract expressionists. When Ernst lived in Sedona, he became deeply fascinated with the Southwest Native American navajo art. In fact, the technique used in this artwork inspired him and paved the way for him to create paintings that depicted this style. Thus, Ernst became a main figure of this art technique, including the rituals and spiritual traditions included in this form of art. Pollock, aside from the other younger generations of abstract expressionists, was also inspired by sand painting of the Southwest...

This exquisite lithograph by Max Ernst (1891–1976), titled Coelacanthe (Coelacanth), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXVIe Annee, No. 42, Juin 1974, originates from the 1974 edition published by Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris, under the direction of Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, and printed by Pierre Chave, imprimeur, Vence, 1974. Coelacanthe reflects Ernsts poetic, textural, and dream-infused Surrealist language at a mature moment in his career. Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 12.5 x 9.75 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Pierre Chave, imprimeur, Vence. Artwork Details: Artist: Max Ernst (1891–1976) Title: Coelacanthe (Coelacanth) Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.75 inches (31.75 x 24.77 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1974 Publisher: Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris, under the direction of Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris Printer: Pierre Chave, imprimeur, Vence Catalogue Raisonne Reference: Ernst, Max, et al. Max Ernst: Graphische Welten: Die Sammlung Schneppenheim. DuMont, 2003, illustration 252. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXVIe Annee, No. 42, Juin 1974, published by Societe Internationale dArt XXe Siecle, Paris; printed by Pierre Chave, imprimeur, Vence, 1974 About the Publication: Gualtieri di San Lazzaros XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs and woodcuts printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris, Milan, and New York, including Mourlot, Curwen, and Amilcare Pizzi, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. The 1960 issue, XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, No. 14, showcased Daphnis et Chloe, one of Chagalls most celebrated lithographic subjects, coinciding with his work on the monumental suite of lithographs inspired by the same pastoral tale, published by Teriade. Through this publication, San Lazzaro further cemented Chagalls reputation as the modern poet of color and love, uniting myth, nature, and emotion in visual form. Today, XXe Siecle remains an essential record of 20th century modernism, celebrated for its seamless integration of fine art, literature, and design. About the Artist: Max Ernst (1891–1976) was a German-French painter, sculptor, printmaker, and poet whose groundbreaking imagination and experimental techniques made him one of the most revolutionary figures of 20th century art, a founding member of both Dada and Surrealism who dismantled traditional notions of art through chance, dream imagery, and psychological exploration; born in Bruhl, Germany, he studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Bonn before rejecting academic convention to pursue art, inspired by the Symbolists, Cubists, and the early abstractions of Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky; the trauma of World War I propelled him toward the Dada movement in Cologne in 1919, where he began creating collages that fused scientific diagrams and Victorian engravings into surreal dreamscapes; by 1922 he had moved to Paris and joined an avant-garde circle that included Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Andre Breton, each sharing his fascination with the irrational and the unseen; Ernsts invention of frottage (rubbing) and grattage (scraping) revolutionized modern painting by allowing chance to participate in creation, revealing hidden textures and subconscious imagery; his visionary paintings, such as The Elephant Celebes, Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale, and Europe After the Rain II, blend myth, science, and dream into symbolic landscapes that remain defining masterpieces of Surrealism; expanding into sculpture, he crafted enigmatic totemic forms such as Capricorne that bridge organic abstraction and surreal fantasy, echoing the equilibrium of Calders mobiles and the conceptual wit of Duchamp; fleeing Nazi-occupied France during World War II, he emigrated to the United States with the support of Peggy Guggenheim, influencing the emerging Abstract Expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, and Willem de Kooning; returning to Europe after the war, he refined an alchemical, poetic approach to painting that inspired later artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Kiki Smith; represented in major museums including MoMA, the Tate, and the Centre Pompidou, Ernst remains a cornerstone of modern art whose limitless curiosity reshaped visual language. His highest auction record was achieved by Le roi jouant avec la reine (The King Playing with the Queen) (1944), which sold for approximately 24.4 million USD at Christies New York in November 2022. Max Ernst Coelacanthe XXe Siecle 1974, Max Ernst lithograph...