Carmelo Arden Quin (Uruguayan/Paris, 1913-2010), "Couronnes IV," 1948, oil and mixed media on shaped board, monogrammed, titled and dated en verso, presented in a conforming white board frame; accompanied with sales receipt/shipping and 1994 correspondence with Galerie Alexandre de la Salle for inclusion in the catalogue raisonne, H.- 11 1/4 in., W.- 15 in., Framed- H.- 18 1/4 in., W.- 22 1/2 in. Provenance: Galerie Alexandre de la Salle, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, October 13, 1978, acquired directly from the gallery; Private collection, New Orleans. Literature: Alexandre de la Salle, "Carmelo Arden Quin 1935-1958, Catalogue Raisonne," Paris, L' Image et La Parole, 2008, p. 245, no. 184, ill. p. 133, no. 33; Gaudencio Fidelis, "Uma Historia Concisa da Bienal do Mercosul," Porte Alegre, Fundacao Bienal do Mercosul, 2005, ill. p. 55. Note: Carmelo Arden Quin, a pivotal figure in 20th century Latin American art, co-founded the Madi movement in Argentina in the early 1940s, which now exists as an international genre that draws its inspiration from politics, architecture, poetic juxtapositions and musical intervals explored through an assemblage of geometric forms in mixed media. Madi, influenced by early 20th century Russian Constructivism, Italian/Argentinian Spatialism and the poetry of Joaquin Torres-Garcia in Buenos Aires, privileges color and form over representation to achieve a “pure” aesthetic. The Couronnes (Crown) series, comprised of ten paintings, is a rare, select group of oeuvres that exemplifies early international Madi. Completed in 1948, the series represents the first mature body of work Quin executed after moving to Paris. Couronnes is a tour-de-force of synergy: industrial spheres (redolent of cogs) puncture, balance and transfigure movement through the bold colors and rectangular planes, creating vignettes of cinematic-like eyes and frames through repetition. This particularly work, like its successor Couronne V, is particularly progressive: as a shaped support it pays homage to the “cut outs” of the Constructivist movement in the 1920s, and it prefigures the postwar race-space abstraction of the 1960s with works by Lucio Fontana, Lee Bontecou, Kenneth Noland and Frank Stella. This work, and number XI, are the only two works of the series to have been auctioned in the past forty years. This painting does not have a certificate of authenticity, even though it is in the catalogue raisonne and was purchased directly from Galerie Alexandre de la Salle in 1978- the gallery from which the catalogue raisonne was issued. Following the death of de la Salle in 2017, the leading specialist on the artist, and the subsequent closure of his gallery, the Quinn family, now issues certificates of authenticity. To obtain one, the work must be brought directly to the family in Argentina for in-person evaluation. This work was withdrawn from Sotheby's sale in June 2020 as this was not feasible amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pigments exhibit fading from the 1994 catalogue raisonne slide. The cutout edges on the reverse exhibit some minor abrading (not visible from the front). There are scattered flake losses to the blue background and to the blue and green geometric shapes. Varnish layer exhibits yellowing (oxidation) and losses. There is some very light craquelure to the black pigment on the diagonal side (lower right). Cardboard support exhibits light buckling in frame, as is to be expected with medium. No inpainting or repairs were detected under UV light, although the losses and layers do fluoresce. Linen border is intact, as is frame. Attractive and rare. This painting does not have a certificate of authenticity, even though it is in the catalogue raisonne and was purchased directly from Galerie Alexandre de la Salle in 1978- the gallery from which the catalogue raisonne was issued. Following the death of de la Salle in 2017, the leading specialist on the artist, and the subsequent closure of his gallery, the Quinn family, now issues certificates of authenticity. To obtain one, the work must be brought directly to the family in Argentina for in-person evaluation. This work was withdrawn from Sotheby's sale in June 2020 as this was not feasible amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. ________________________________________________________________________________ ALL PROPERTY IS SOLD "AS IS." NO STATEMENT REGARDING CONDITION OF ANY ITEM, WHETHER IT IS MADE ORALLY AT THE AUCTION OR ANY OTHER TIME, OR IN WRITING IN THE CATALOGUE OR ELSEWHERE, SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY.