Max Ernst 1891-1976
Chéri Bibi, 1973
bronze with black patina
13 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
34.3 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
34.3 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm
Edition of 175 + 15 APs
With Chéri Bibi (Darling Bibi), Max Ernst took up the design form of the disc sculptures that could be found in his sculptural work since the 1930s. The formal series...
With Chéri Bibi (Darling Bibi), Max Ernst took up the design form of the disc sculptures that could be found in his sculptural work since the 1930s. The formal series began with the pair Oiseau-téte (bird’s head) and La belle allemande (The beautiful German [woman / girl]), which were created in Paris in 1934/35 (Fig. p. 31, 33; 43-45), was continued by him in 1944 in Long Island with An anxious Friend / Un ami empressé (An anxious friend / an assiduous friend) and Jeune femme en forme de fleur (Young Woman in the Shape of a Flower), in which he incorporated the possibility of a deep stratification into the room (Fig. p. 61-63; 69, 71), and he finally varied it again in Dans les rues d’Athènes (In the Streets of Athens) and Un chinois égaré (A Lost Chinese) from 1960, by applying small, fully plastic figures to the presentation tableaux (Fig. p. 148, 151; 152-153).
The compositional scheme of body surfaces with additively applied individual elements is adopted directly, whereby this time the clear and symmetrical arrangement of simple surfaces, an upright rectangular plate and a circular disc creates the impression of a harmonious balance. The name “Chéri Bibi” goes back to the hero of a novel series begun in 1911 by Gaston Leroux, author of the work “Phantom of the Opera.” The main character of the series is a goodnatured colossus who had repeatedly broken out of prison. Pursued by a merciless fate and forced to commit crimes, his motto was: “Disastrous!”
In the bronze of Max Ernst the location of the figure is not certain. The pedestal consists of two different sized hemispheres set against each other, whereby the fatal situation of the hero is abstractly but clearly implemented. The rectangle of the body frames the circular silhouette of the head so massively and completely that the impression of a massive corporeality is created. The face itself is not sculpturally formed, but is stamped into the plate-shaped surface of the head. At the same time, the outstretched tongue expresses the hero’s carefree composure. Max Ernst’s sculpture unites the exciting contrast of the literary model, the uncertain circumstances of life and the nevertheless self-confident attitude of the fictitious character.
Translated from: J. Pech, Max Ernst: Plastische Werke, Cologne, 2005, p. 206.
The compositional scheme of body surfaces with additively applied individual elements is adopted directly, whereby this time the clear and symmetrical arrangement of simple surfaces, an upright rectangular plate and a circular disc creates the impression of a harmonious balance. The name “Chéri Bibi” goes back to the hero of a novel series begun in 1911 by Gaston Leroux, author of the work “Phantom of the Opera.” The main character of the series is a goodnatured colossus who had repeatedly broken out of prison. Pursued by a merciless fate and forced to commit crimes, his motto was: “Disastrous!”
In the bronze of Max Ernst the location of the figure is not certain. The pedestal consists of two different sized hemispheres set against each other, whereby the fatal situation of the hero is abstractly but clearly implemented. The rectangle of the body frames the circular silhouette of the head so massively and completely that the impression of a massive corporeality is created. The face itself is not sculpturally formed, but is stamped into the plate-shaped surface of the head. At the same time, the outstretched tongue expresses the hero’s carefree composure. Max Ernst’s sculpture unites the exciting contrast of the literary model, the uncertain circumstances of life and the nevertheless self-confident attitude of the fictitious character.
Translated from: J. Pech, Max Ernst: Plastische Werke, Cologne, 2005, p. 206.