Alfred Maurer
38.1 x 46 cm
Poule dans un nid (Chicken in a Nest) exemplifies Alfred Maurer’s Fauvist period, showcasing his ability to blend vibrant color with abstracted forms. Throughout his career, Maurer worked in diverse painting styles, consistently at the forefront of major trends in American art from 1890 to 1930. From figurative works inspired by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) and William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) to his later experiments with Fauvism and Cubism, Maurer's oeuvre is a testament to his innovative spirit. Completed during Maurer’s time in France, Poule dans un nid (Chicken in a Nest) reflects his exposure to and inspiration from artists like Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and Paul Cézanne (1839-1906).
The title of the present painting directs attention to the subject depicted on the bowl—a chicken painted on the inside of a ceramic dish. The use of non-naturalistic colors, specifically, Maurer’s complementary color palette with the oranges of the rounded forms set against the blues of the table, and the yellow dish outlined in purple, reveals Maurer’s understanding of color theory. Not one to be confined to a single genre, in this still life, Maurer’s broad brushwork evoke a sense of landscape. Maurer's embrace of Fauvism's bold and expressive style foreshadows the bold, abstract cubist compositions that would characterize his work in the following decade.
Provenance
The artist;
[Bernard Danenberg Galleries, New York];
Private collection, California;
[Hollis Taggart Galleries, Inc., New York];
Tommy LiPuma, New York, 1999; to
Estate of the above, 2017
Exhibitions
Bernard Danenberg Galleries, New York, Alfred Maurer and the Fauves: The Lost Years Rediscovered, February 27-March 31, 1973, no. 24 illus. in colorHollis Taggart Galleries, New York, Alfred H. Maurer: Aestheticism to Modernism, November 30, 1999-January 15, 2000, as Poule dans un Nid
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, High Notes of American Modernism: Selections from the Tommy and Gill LiPuma Collection, November 14-December 31, 2002
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, Modern American Masters: Highlights from the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Collection, March 28-July 18, 2004, as The Painted Bowl with Chicken, c. 1910
Kraushaar Galleries, New York, Alfred Maurer: Being Modern, A Selection of Paintings and Works on Paper in Association with Stacey Epstein Fine Art, November 2-December 15, 2022Literature
Stacey Epstein, Alfred H. Maurer: Aestheticism to Modernism, New York: Hollis Taggart Galleries, 1999, p. 30, pl. 47, illus. p. 149William C. Agee and Bruce Weber, High Notes of American Modernism: Selections from the Tommy and Gill LiPuma Collection, New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 2002, pp. 26, 72, pl. 26, as The Painted Bowl with Chicken, dated c. 1910
Grace Glueck, "Serendipity's Reward: A Spirited Collection of Four Disparate Americans," The New York Times, November 39, 2002, p. E39, illus.Stacey Epstein, Alfred H. Maurer: Aestheticism to Modernism, 1897-1916, Ph.D Dissertation, City University of New York, 2003
Stacey Epstein, Alfred H. Maurer: At the Vanguard of Modernism, Andover: Addison Gallery of American Art and Yale University Press, 2015, pp. 115, 117, illus. in color
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