Bird in the Cercle by Johnny Friedlaender

This is an abstract etching and aquatint titled Bird in the Cercle. Friedlaender titled several of his works from this period Oiseaux (bird), and even repeated use of the same title, but the images are not representational in any sense. The work uses a more limited color scheme primarily green on a grey background. There are a few colorful interjections in gold, red, and blue. He uses opaque inks which is typical of his output from this time period and is used to give the print more surface. He enhances this by also using embossing of the paper to add a three-dimensional effect. Geometric patterns are evident dominated by the circle noted in the title. The other shapes can be imagined as 'bird-like' with structures vaguely resembling wings, tail, and beak, but it isn't recognizable as a bird. The piece dates from 1970 and is represented as Schmücking-Peerlings 37 in the artist's catalogue raisonné. The piece is unframed. It is printed to the margins on a full untrimmed sheet that is 22.375 x 30 inches in size. It is signed Friedlaender in pencil lower right and the edition, 82/95 is lower left. It is in excellent condition with no paper loss, tears, stains, fading, foxing, or trimming. A striking work that is representative of this period.

Johnny Friedlaender (1912-1992) was born in Germany and did his studies in Breslau with Otto Mueller. Prior to WWII he exhibited extensively throughout Europe including a very successful exhibit in The Hague. He moved to France in 1937 to escape Nazi persecution, but ultimately spent 4 years in concentration camps before being liberated in 1944. He ultimately became a French citizen.
Friedlaender is credited with taking the medium of aquatint etching to new heights. He effectively used this technique to create his abstract visions. They are characterized by striking colors and dramatic designs. He ultimately exhibited all over the world. In 1957 he was the recipient of the Biennial Kakamura Prize in Tokyo and the Lovis Corinth prize in 1981. He became an influential teacher accepting a teaching post awarded by UNESCO at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and ultimately teaching out of his studio in Paris. A major retrospective of his work was held at the Musee dArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1978. In 1987 the Kunsthalle Bremen mounted a retrospective of his work on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday. In 1992 Johnny Friedlaender died in Paris, where he had spent most of his adult life. His work is held by major museums around the world.