Constant (b. Amsterdam 1920, d. Utrecht 2005)
“La femme terrible”, 1949. Signed Constant 49. Oil on canvas. 85×75 cm.
Literature: J.L. Locher: ”De schilderkunst van Constant” i Constant. Schilderijen 1940–1980. Catalogue for the exhibition ”Constant . Schilderijen 1940–1980” at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag from 27 September-24 November 1980 p. 55 no. 32, reproduced in b/w. La femme terrible, private collection, Handwriting Constant, ”coll. Oudejans, loan to Haags Gemeentemuseum”).
Literature: M.B.E. Hummelink: ”Après nous la liberté. Constant en de artistieke avant-garde in de jaren 1946–1960”. Extensive academic overview of the role Constant played in the Cobra-movement and of his position in modern European art. Amsterdam 2002, p. 112, reproduced no. 53.
Literature: Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle: ”Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”. Published on the occasion of the exhibition: a National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England with BALTIC, 2003, p. 59, reproduced no. 55.
Literature: Roberta Smith: ”Cobra Artists Worked With a Passionate Style to Match Their Name,”. Review in The New York Times, Art & Design, Art Review, 8 October 2015. Exhibition review of ”The Avant-Garde Won’t Give Up: Cobra and Its Legacy” at Blum & Poe, NY. The painting reproduced hanging on the exhibition-wall.
Literature: Hans den Hartog-Jager: ”Zie de mens 100 jaar, honderd gezichten”. Book accompanying the exhibition in Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, 2016–2017, reproduced full page in colours p. 77 and p. 144 and mentioned p. 76.
Literature: Alison M. Gingeras: ”The Avant-garde Won't Give Up. Cobra and Its Legacy”, 2017, p. 32.
Exhibited: “Werken van Constant”, Galerie Le Canard, Amsterdam 16 February-3 March 1951. On the opening night of the exhibition in gallery - Jan Elburg read one of his new poems, entitled “Het uitzicht van de duif”. The relationship between this poem and the paintings on display was experienced by all those present. On this evening the plan arose with both artists to compile a combined edition of this poem with a number of colour wood cuts by Constant.
Exhibited: “Constant-schilderijen plastieken New Babylon”, Haags Gemeentemuseum 1 October-21 November 1965, cat. no. 19. Catalogue text by L.J.F. Wijsenbeek, Constant, Jos de Gruyter and Hein van Haaren.
Exhibited: “Constant. Schilderijen 1940–1980”, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 26 September-23 November 1980. Catalogue text by J.L. Locher.
Exhibited: “Figur Wolkenfänger: Horst Antes und der malerische Aufbruch in den 1960er Jahren”, Sprengel Museum, Hannover 24 March-16 June 2002, cat. no. 68.
Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Gateshead Baltic, England, 1 March-21 April 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Catalogue text by Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle.
Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Manchester Art Gallery Manchester, England, 2 May-15 June 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Catalogue text by Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle.
Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Irland 3 July-21 September 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Catalogue text by Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle.
Exhibited: “The Avant-Garde Won’t Give Up Cobra and Its Legacy”, Blum & Poe, New York 9 September-17 October 2015 and Los Angeles 5 November-15 December 2015.
Exhibited: "Zie de mens/Ecce Homo, Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands 1 October 2016–15 January 2017.
Provenance: Constant’s own collection, The Netherlands 1949. Provenance: Collection Har Oudejans, The Netherlands. Provenance: Private collection, The Netherlands.
Galerie Le Canard functioned both as an art gallery and a bookstore specializing in rare and bibliophile editions. At this time, it developed into a vibrant meeting place for artists and intellectuals, hosting lively evenings of discussion and readings of experimental poetry.
In late June 1949, Jorn and Constant, accompanied by their families, travelled to Bornholm, where Jorn had borrowed a house from Herbert von Garvens Garvensburg. During this stay, the relationship between Jorn and Constant’s wife, Matie, erupted into a love affair. The development was not as sudden as it might appear: the two had fallen in love the previous year, and Matie had already decided to leave Constant. Their marriage had long been marked by her desire for a more balanced family life. Jorn’s own marriage had likewise been in crisis since his long journey in 1948.
When the summer came to its dramatic close, Jorn left Bornholm with Matie. Constant returned to Amsterdam with his son, Victor, leaving his two daughters in Matie’s care — a poignant separation that marked both a personal and artistic turning point for all involved.
It was in the emotional aftermath of these events that Constant painted La Femme Terrible. The work captures, with raw intensity, the turbulence of desire and loss — a vision of the feminine both feared and desired, emblematic of the existential tensions that would soon find expression in the CoBrA movement. In its charged energy and psychological depth, the painting stands as a powerful testament to a moment when life and art were inseparably entwined.
Exhibited: “Werken van Constant”, Galerie Le Canard, Amsterdam 16 February-3 March 1951. On the opening night of the exhibition in gallery - Jan Elburg read one of his new poems, entitled “Het uitzicht van de duif”. The relationship between this poem and the paintings on display was experienced by all those present. On this evening the plan arose with both artists to compile a combined edition of this poem with a number of color woodcuts by Constant. Exhibited: “Constant-schilderijen plastieken New Babylon”, Haags Gemeentemuseum 1 October-21 November 1965, cat. no. 19. Catalogue text by L.J.F. Wijsenbeek, Constant, Jos de Gruyter and Hein van Haaren. Exhibited: “Constant. Schilderijen 1940–1980”, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 26 September-23 November 1980. Catalogue text by J.L. Locher.Exhibited: “Figur Wolkenfänger: Horst Antes und der malerische Aufbruch in den 1960er Jahren”, Sprengel Museum, Hannover 24 March-16 June 2002, cat. no. 68. Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Gateshead Baltic, England, 1 March-21 April 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Katalog tekst af Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle. Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Manchester Art Gallery Manchester, England, 2 May-15 June 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Catalogue text by Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle. Exhibited: “Cobra: Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Irland 3 July-21 September 2003, cat. no. 55. A National Touring Exhibition organized by the Hayward Gallery, London for the Arts Council of England in collaboration with BALTIC. Catalogue text by Roger Malbert, Peter Shield and Graham Birtwistle. Exhibited: “The Avant-Garde Won’t Give Up Cobra and Its Legacy”, Blum & Poe, New York 9 September-17 October 2015 and Los Angeles 5 November-15 December 2015. Exhibited: "Zie de mens/Ecce Homo, Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle,Holland 1 October 2016–15 January 2017.
Condition report available on request
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.