The Little Tragedy

Artist André Masson (French, 1896 - 1987)

Date1933

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 10 3/4 x 18 inches (27.31 x 45.72 cm)
Framed: 18 1/4 x 25 1/8 inches (46.36 x 63.82 cm)

Credit LineGift of Saidie A. May

Object number36-20/2

Signedl.l. corner: "A. M./33"

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

Modern Art

Terms

DescriptionCubist composition in reds and greens consisting of a foreshortened corpse in the center and a standing figure on each side. Figure on the right holds out flaming heart to figure on the left.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

In this painting André Masson issued a cry from the heart against the irrational human instinct for violence. During World War I (1914–1918), he fought for France, was shot in the chest, and suffered psychological trauma. This image is one of many born of Masson’s recurrent nightmares. With hellish reds, clashing greens, and sharply angled forms, he recreated the horror of war. The beast-headed figure at right holds a fire bomb in one hand and a dagger in the other. A nude male figure lies at center—his heart a deep, dark red.

Provenance

Acquired from the artist by Galerie Simon, Paris, stock no. PH10829, 1933 [1];

Purchased from Galerie Simon by Saidie A. May (1879-1951), Grossmont, CA, 1933-1936 [2];

Her gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1936.

NOTES:

[1] Masson was under contract with Galerie Simon from July 1933.

[2] A copy of the French customs export declaration, dated July 7, 1934, is in the NAMA curatorial files.

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