The bases of both sculptures have ‘A.P’ and ‘Max Ernst, 1944’ incised on the base and ‘Modern Art Foundry, New York, NY’ stamped on the side (above). Since the opening of the Fondation Beyeler in 1997, the sculpture had been displayed and moved inside the museum only with extreme caution. Ernst and Picasso are getting their due as sculptors this year.“There’s an amusement to all of them,” says Paul Kasmin of the charmingly elegant and quirky works in his eponymous gallery’s current exhibition, “Mazt Ernst’s studio at Huismes, in the Loire Valley (1961).“Every few years he would go and make a body of sculpture work and for him it was a great release,” Kasmin told artnet News in a phone conversation.Kasmin sees a common thread between Ernst’s sculptures and his other work. Reinforcements made from a variety of materials are clearly visible in the body of the plaster. The bases of both sculptures have ‘A.P’ and ‘Max Ernst, 1944’ incised on the base and ‘Modern Art Foundry, New York, NY’ stamped on the side (above). “With sculpture both hands play a role, just as it does when making love.”“Max Ernst Paramyths: Sculpture, 1934–1967” at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York (installation view).Ernst’s love life is a tale unto itself: he married art dealer and collector His life-size limestone statue inspired by Tanning, titled Though “an extremely lucky coincidence,” according to Kasmin, the Ernst show coincides with the For his part, Kasmin isn’t surprised that Ernst and Picasso are both finally getting their due as sculptors: “The two of them are great in every medium they work in.”“Max Ernst Paramyths: Sculpture, 1934–1967” at Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York (installation view).©2020 Artnet Worldwide Corporation.

- Sun. The interior of the sculpture contains an armature made of wires of different strengths. Max Ernst, The King Playing with the Queen, 1944, 102.0 x 88.0 x 55.0 cm, Original plaster cast, Photo: Robert Bayer Figure 1: A detail of the neck taken with X-rays shows the structural underpinnings of the sculpture.

The king protects the queen with his right hand and at the same time prevents her from advancing, while he hides another chess piece in his left hand. High-resolution X-ray photographs provided revealing information about the structure of the plaster.

Years later, he became fully involved in the surrealist group and began a series of plaster casts, done between 1934 and 1935, which indicated a firmer commitment to sculpting. It has also encouraged academics to widen the breadth of the explanations about items in his compositions, more so than perhaps has been helpful. Various historical layers of paint cover the original white of the plaster. The reseach project confirms the fragility of the plaster sculpture.

One of the finest examples of the link between Ernst's paintings and sculptures could be the comparison between Capricorn (pictured here) and his oil painting, Max Ernst was an artist who did not desire precision nor clarity in his work. Years later, he became fully involved in the surrealist group and began a series of plaster casts, done between 1934 and 1935, which indicated a firmer commitment to sculpting. As a member of the dadaist ranks, Max Ernst began his assemblage-based sculpture using wood and wire, as a response to the crisis in painting that Dadá addressed. He later had several bronze versions cast. It revealed threaded rods, nails and screws inside the sculpture that were not used by the artist (figure 1).

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