Bronze, with dark brown patina France, 1937 Henri Laurens (1885-1954) – French sculptor and draftsman Signed with monogram and numbered on the plinth lower left ‘HL 3/6‘ With foundry stamp on the plinth lower right ‘C. Valsuani cire perdue’ Catalogue raisonné: Musées Nationaux 52 Literature: cf. Hofmann, Werner: Das plastische Werk, Stuttgart 1970, ill. p. 161 (another cast) Dimensions: c. 81 x 62 x 18 cm Very good condition Provenance: Dr. Reinhard Scheele, Hannover (estate); Galerie Brusberg, Hannover (1975); Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris ‘La nuit (grande)’ is an impressive example of classic modern sculpture and forms the counterpart to a second bronze relief, which is entitled ‘Le jour (grand)’; similar bronze casts by Henri Laurens have fetched up to €93.000 at international auctions Estimate by Auctionata Expert: 50,000 Euro In the 1930s and 1940s, Henri Laurens again passed through another fundamental change of figural perception. Following certain principles of biomorphic representations, he created female nudes reminiscent of surrealist notions of natural metamorphosis. Accordingly, the present bronze relief clearly reveals how softly shaped and anatomically deformed bodies may be regarded as an expression of natural substance. With this approach Henri Laurens had a quite similar understanding of sculpture like Henry Moore and there contributed to a new archetypal view of female nudes. Condition: The bronze relief is in very good condition with only minor traces of wear. Its overall dimensions are c. 81 x 62 x 18 cm. Henri Laurens (1885-1954) The French artist Henri Laurens was born in Paris. In 1905 he completed a mason apprenticeship and worked as a building mason. In his spare time he created sculptures that were stylistically influenced by Auguste Rodin. In 1911 he met Georges Braque who gave him an understanding of cubism. In 1913, Henri Laurens exhibited for the first time at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris. From 1927 on Laurens began to model his sculptures, mostly female nudes, with organic-voluminous forms instead of the geometrical approach of the cubism. Examples of his artistic output are represented in many international museums, including the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (cbo) Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance. Auctionata charges the resale rights tax pursuant to Section 26 of the German Copyright Act (UrhG) towards the buyer in case of the sale of an original work of art or photography prior to 70 years having lapsed since the death of their creator. Therefore, Auctionata charges when purchasing a good – if a protection as an original work of art or photography is given – starting from a hammer price of EUR 400 an additional amount, which is calculated according to Section 26 (2) German Copyright Act (UrhG) and which does not exceed the amount of EUR 12,500. You can find more information about resale rights tax in Auctionata´s table of fees and T&C. Starting bid : 24000