Marcus de Vestele (1941-2024) - Composition Cobra aux trois figures Aquarelle et encre de Chine sur papier, 1974
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Selected by Giulia Couzzi
Master’s in culture and arts innovation, with a decade in 20th-21st century Italian art.
Estimate € 400 - € 500
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Marcus de Vestele, Composition Cobra aux trois figures, 1974, watercolour with Chinese ink on paper, 37.5 × 54.5 cm, signed and dated, original edition, Belgian origin, unframed.
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Description from the seller
Marcus de Vestele (1941-2024) Composition with three figures. Watercolor and India ink on paper, 1974
Signature: Signed and dated lower right: MARCUS / 74. Stamp of the studio on the back: “Marcus de Vestele – Atelier de l’artiste”
Dimensions: 54.5 × 37.5 cm
Sold unframed
Condition:
Good overall studio condition. Cream paper, some light signs of aging and tape residue on the back, in line with a work from 1974 coming directly from the studio. Front is clean.
Provenance: Artist Marcus de Vestele’s studio.
Description:
Cobra composition by Marcus de Vestele, dated 1974.
Three elemental figures stand in a bright field. On the left, a large lemon-yellow area, vertical and almost totemic, flanks a gray silhouette with a masked face: rough black features, rectangular eyes, a dark mass at the shoulder, and a fine blue line escaping from the skull.
In the center, the fullest figure dissolves into the wash: blue-gray head, black ink for the eye, mouth and ear, gray body fading into the paper, black vertical accent. On the right, a third silhouette, darker, head ringed with a halo of ink, stands before a touch of yellow. In the upper right, loose washes of blue and salmon suggest a spectral presence, almost a fourth unfinished figure.
The gesture is spontaneous, economical, quintessential Cobra: primitive figuration, tension between human presence and abstraction. The color fields—yellow, blue, earthy pink—structure the space without enclosing it. The work has a theatrical and archaic quality, at once fragile and monumental.
A characteristic piece from Marcus de Vestele’s paper production in the mid-1970s, coming directly from the artist’s studio.
Biography:
Marcus de Vestele (1941-2024) was a Belgian artist best known as a marble sculptor (notably in Carrara with Bardiglio marble). Alongside his sculptural practice, he developed a substantial body of painting throughout his life, long kept private and now sought after by collectors.
Strongly influenced by the Cobra movement (Karel Appel, Asger Jorn, Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Constant), he absorbed its primitive figuration, spontaneous line, and the tension between figure and abstraction.
His works on paper from the 1970s combine the discipline of a sculptor with free gesturality. Directly from the studio, this body of work represents an essential facet of his oeuvre.”
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateMarcus de Vestele (1941-2024) Composition with three figures. Watercolor and India ink on paper, 1974
Signature: Signed and dated lower right: MARCUS / 74. Stamp of the studio on the back: “Marcus de Vestele – Atelier de l’artiste”
Dimensions: 54.5 × 37.5 cm
Sold unframed
Condition:
Good overall studio condition. Cream paper, some light signs of aging and tape residue on the back, in line with a work from 1974 coming directly from the studio. Front is clean.
Provenance: Artist Marcus de Vestele’s studio.
Description:
Cobra composition by Marcus de Vestele, dated 1974.
Three elemental figures stand in a bright field. On the left, a large lemon-yellow area, vertical and almost totemic, flanks a gray silhouette with a masked face: rough black features, rectangular eyes, a dark mass at the shoulder, and a fine blue line escaping from the skull.
In the center, the fullest figure dissolves into the wash: blue-gray head, black ink for the eye, mouth and ear, gray body fading into the paper, black vertical accent. On the right, a third silhouette, darker, head ringed with a halo of ink, stands before a touch of yellow. In the upper right, loose washes of blue and salmon suggest a spectral presence, almost a fourth unfinished figure.
The gesture is spontaneous, economical, quintessential Cobra: primitive figuration, tension between human presence and abstraction. The color fields—yellow, blue, earthy pink—structure the space without enclosing it. The work has a theatrical and archaic quality, at once fragile and monumental.
A characteristic piece from Marcus de Vestele’s paper production in the mid-1970s, coming directly from the artist’s studio.
Biography:
Marcus de Vestele (1941-2024) was a Belgian artist best known as a marble sculptor (notably in Carrara with Bardiglio marble). Alongside his sculptural practice, he developed a substantial body of painting throughout his life, long kept private and now sought after by collectors.
Strongly influenced by the Cobra movement (Karel Appel, Asger Jorn, Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Constant), he absorbed its primitive figuration, spontaneous line, and the tension between figure and abstraction.
His works on paper from the 1970s combine the discipline of a sculptor with free gesturality. Directly from the studio, this body of work represents an essential facet of his oeuvre.”
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Sold with frame
No
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Edition
Original
Artist
Marcus de Vestele (1941-2024)
Title of artwork
Composition Cobra aux trois figures Aquarelle et encre de Chine sur papier, 1974
Technique
Watercolour painting
Signature
Signed
Country of origin
Belgium
Year
1974
Condition
Good condition
Height
37.5 cm
Width
54.5 cm
Depiction/theme
Portrait
Style
Cobra
Period
1970-1980
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