Fernand Leger – Contraste de forms, oil on burlap, Painted in 1913
One of the most important canvasses by Fernand Léger to be offered at auction comes up at Christie’s in New York on November 13. Contraste de forms, an oil on burlap painted in 1913, was originally acquired from Léger at the end of 1913 by his dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler.
It was bought in 1956 from Galerie Rosengart in Lucerne by Ludmilla and Hans Arnhold, an international banker and art collector. Mr. Arnhold later bequeathed the painting to their daughter and son-in law, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen. Mr. Kellen was longtime CEO of investment banking firm, Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder, Inc. (now First Eagle Holdings, Inc.). He and his wife were passionate collectors and distinguished philanthropists.
The Kellens were deeply captivated by Léger and his work, often visiting the Musée National Fernand-Léger in Biot, France, with their children and eventually their grandchildren. Contraste de formes was a highlight of their collection and enriched their New York home for over 40 years. This is the first time it has appeared at auction. Proceeds will go towards the foundation’s philanthropic mission.
Conor Jordan, deputy chairman, Impressionist and Modern Art, remarked: “This is pure painting seen in its most exciting form, bursting with visual and intellectual ideas. The Kellen Foundation’s Contraste de formes, among the greatest Léger’s still in private hands, has a startling intensity. Executed just months before the First World War, Contraste de formes with its groundbreaking abstract conception and its thrillingly preserved physical state, is without question a major work of Modern Art. Standing at the threshold of 20th century art, this picture marks a departure from the purely figurative, leading the way for abstract art.”
