Provenance
Sold by Galerie du Dragon, Paris, to Lindy and Edwin Bergman, Chicago, 1960; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2018.
Accession Number
118689
Medium
Collage composed of photograph, graphite drawing, gouache, printed marble paper, frottage, and cut paper elements, painted, colored, and scratched with crayon on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
50 × 64.6 cm (19 11/16 × 25 7/16 in.)
Classification
collage
Credit Line
Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Max Ernst's Untitled (Loplop Presents) (1932) is a complex collage composed of photograph, graphite drawing, gouache, printed marble paper, frottage, and cut paper elements, painted, colored, and scratched with crayon on ivory wove paper. Loplop was a bird-like alter ego that Ernst invented, who appears in many of his works presenting or introducing other images. The rich variety of techniques creates a densely layered composition typical of Ernst's surrealist collages.
Cultural Impact
Loplop was Ernst's invented alter ego, a bird-like figure who appears throughout his work.
Why It Matters
This richly layered collage uses Ernst's characteristic combination of techniques to create a work in which his alter ego Loplop presents a surrealist vision.
