Abstract bronze sculpture “L’Or des Nuits” by Siegfried Jonas, France 1961

Abstract bronze sculpture “L’Or des Nuits” by Siegfried Jonas (1909–1989), France 1961. Strong and distinctive work featuring beautifully flowing organic forms cast in bronze, enriched by a deep, nuanced patina that reveals subtle variations in colour. Siegfried Jonas was born in Russia, where he lived until 1921, when he fled with his family to Geneva. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Geneva from 1926 to 1930 under the guidance of James Vibert. In 1931, Jonas moved to Paris for two years of further study, where he encountered and was influenced by artists such as Henri Laurens, Jacques Lipchitz, and Pablo Picasso. In 1946, he settled permanently in Paris. Jonas exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1948, at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and La Jeune Sculpture from 1950 onwards, and at the Salon de Mai in 1959, alongside artists such as Picasso, Ernst, and Arp. From 1956 onwards, following a period of highly structured abstraction and a broader questioning of the role of abstract art, Jonas entered a new artistic phase. He developed a vocabulary of organic forms that culminated in works such as "Paludes and Tumulte" (Marsh and Tumult), expressing slowly proliferating organic structures and an intense, surging energy. L’Or des Nuits, sculpture no. 09, belongs to this important period. The sculpture is signed S. Jonas B/F and is preserved in excellent original condition.