Anne Jernander-De Vries (born 1942)
Couple with child, 1974
Mixed media, ink and gouache (black & white) on paper.
Dimensions with frame: 53 × 43 cm.
A black and white composition depicting three closely intertwined figures, which can be interpreted as a couple embracing with a child. The highly stylized treatment of the faces, reduced to a few oval shapes and organic masses, gives the work a strong graphic and almost totemic presence.
- Artist / Designer:Anne Jernander-De Vries.
- Signature / Monogram:Signed.
- Period:20th Century / 1960 - 1980.
- Country of Origin:Belgium.
- Dimensions (H x W x D):53 x 43 x 4 cm.
- Weight:2 Kg.
- Number of components:1.
- Condition:Excellent.
- Style:Abstract.
- Material:Mixed media.
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Price:950 €
Created in 1974, this sheet of paper belongs to a style close to organic abstraction and symbolic figuration. Anne Jernander-De Vries moved in an environment directly connected to African art, having assembled, with her husband Jean-Pierre Jernander, a significant collection of African art. This connection is evident in the simplification of forms, the frontality, and the almost sculptural quality of the figures.
With her husband Jean-Pierre Jernander (1939-2015), she assembled a significant collection of African art in Brussels, now regularly cited in the provenance of major works. The Jernanders were among the most recognized collectors and figures in this field in Belgium, and several pieces from their collection were published, exhibited at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, or subsequently acquired by prestigious international collections. Sotheby's also mentions the Jernanders among the individuals who played a role in the dissemination and recognition of African art in Europe. ( Sothebys.com )
A significant portion of their collection of Congolese art was dispersed at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris on June 26, 1996, during an auction organized by De Quay-Lombrail: 45 of the 47 lots were sold, for a total of 5,471,600 francs, including a Ngbandi statue that fetched 1,050,000 francs and a Lwena mask that sold for 720,000 francs. Several works from the Jernander collection subsequently reappeared at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams, sometimes with very high estimates, confirming the quality and international recognition of this collection. This context of collecting African art naturally provides a particularly interesting element for understanding the artistic world and possible influences on the work of Anne Jernander-De Vries. (Le Journal Des Arts)