James Ensor
1860 - 1949
Horion et Rossardo. 1911.
Colored crayon drawing.
Signed and dated lower right. Titled lower left. Inscription on the reverse:
"La gamme d'amour
(Flirt de marionettes)
Ballet pantomime
Horizon et Rossardo
amis de Belandre (gestrichen) L.frelin". On firm wove paper. 25.2 x 17.6 cm (9.9 x 6.9 in), size of sheet.

In 1911, James Ensor composed a ballet in six parts on a harmonium which his collectors Albin and Emma Lambotte had given him in 1905. The action takes place in a shop selling masks and dolls and revolves around the love between the marionettes Miamia and Fifrelin.
Under the final title “La Gamme d'Amour,” a concert version was performed in Ostend in 1913. A second performance followed in January 1920 at the Galerie Georges Giroux in Brussels on the occasion of an Ensor exhibition. The complete performance with dance, costumes, and stage design did not take place until March 27, 1924, at the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp.

The exhibition “James Ensor. Maestro” at the BOZAR Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (February 9-June 23, 2024), was dedicated to Ensor's work, taking into account his diverse talents not only as a visual artist, but also as a writer and musician. [EH].

• James Ensor, the “painter of masks,” is considered a precursor of Surrealism.
• The artist flourished not only in the visual arts, but also in literature and music: in the same year that this drawing was created, he also composed the ballet pantomime “La Gamme d’Amour.”.

We are grateful to Dr. Herwig Todts, honorary curator at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, for his kind expert advice.

PROVENANCE: Private collection (1989, Christie's, London, adhesive label on the reverse).
Private collection Günther Förg (since the late 1990s, acquired from the above).

LITERATURE: Christie's, London, Impressionist and Modern, Watercolors and Drawings, June 27, 1989, lot 128 (illu.).

In good condition. The sheet has faint light-staining around the edges. Two tiny brown spots in the top center. The adhesive label on the back has caused minimal grease transfer to the front. Two tiny holes at the top edge of the sheet, reinforced with tape on the back.
For information concerning the condition, please view the high resolution image / backside image.