Label TextKnown as an innovator of Cubism alongside Picasso, Braque brought a Cubist sensibility
to his printmaking practice in the sense that color frequently exists independently of
form. Scholar Dora Vallier referred to this technique as "chromatic decoupage," in other
words, collaging with color. That sensibility is evident in this 1955 lithograph, which
features three simplified, even rudimentary, bird forms against a background of vivid,
saturated blue—evoking the idea of birds in flight.
DimensionsFrame: 19 3/4 x 14 x 1 1/8 in. (50.2 x 35.6 x 2.9 cm)
Sheet (visible): 13 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. (35.2 x 22.2 cm)
Image: 13 x 7 7/8 in. (33 x 20 cm)
Sheet (visible): 13 7/8 x 8 3/4 in. (35.2 x 22.2 cm)
Image: 13 x 7 7/8 in. (33 x 20 cm)
Accession Number 2025.122
Classificationsprint
SignedG. Braque (l,r graphite)
Inscriptions59/75 (l,l graphite)
Edition59/75
Paper/SupportArches wove paper
Provenance(Galerie Maeght, Paris); Linda and Steve Weitz [purchased from the previous, 1960]; Des Moines Art Center [gift from the previous, 2025]
