LOT DETAILS

Materials:

oil on canvas

Size Notes:

51 by 61cm., 20 by 24in.

Edition:

Mangbetu Children was painted during Sternâ??s seminal trip to the Belgian Congo (now DRC); the Second World War had prevented her from returning to Europe, and her wanderlust inspired travel within Africa instead. Following her first visit to Zanzibar in 1939, by March 1942 she was planning to visit the Congo: â??I want a change badly. Here if war is at the door â?? what do I do â?? but sit and get bombedâ?¦ My plans are to go up to Elisabethville by rail â?? truck my car â?? then get a chauffeur there â?? and motor for three days â?? then the road stops â?? and I can rail my car for 12 hours then I arrive at Albertville. I shall want to paint the Watussi â?? and a tribe much further north still beyond the Kivuâ?¦ a 2,000 miles trip through the Lake districtâ?¦ I can only go from May on as that is the dry seasonâ?? (letter to Richard and Freda Feldman, 24 March 1942).

Markings:

signed and dated 1942 (upper right)

Condition:

Structural Condition: The canvas appears unlined and the stretcher appears to be the original. Paint Surface: Colours are strong and vibrant. A handful of lines of cracking located within the pink background and one line of cracking visible on close inspection within the right eye of the left hand sitter, possible other very minor instances elsewhere. UV Light: Inspection under UV light reveals no clear signs of restoration or repair. Summary: This work appears to be in very good and stable condition. Please note this work is framed. Further enquiries: Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6323 or email [email protected] if you have any questions regarding the present work. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE INCLUDED IN THE CATALOGUE.