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L'Oiseau by Jean-Michel Atlan

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Gift from the estate of Penelope Rosenberg.

This lithograph bears several hallmarks of the CoBrA group’s art, the enigmatic figure of the ‘Moonbird’ is both sinister and whimsical, the drawing and patches of colour in the background express a childlike spontaneity and emotional freedom.

Heavy black lines enclosing sinuous shapes were a regular feature of Atlan’s work, as were colours such as dark reds, ochre and other earth pigments which have been said to reflect the decorations and painted masks of his North African homeland.