Original Oedipus and the Sphinx with the Swing Poster by Alfred Courmes, 1979

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Alfred Courmes

Œdipe et le Sphinx avec la balançoire
(Oedipus and the Sphinx with the Swing)

Original poster

1979

59 … Read more Alfred Courmes

Œdipe et le Sphinx avec la balançoire
(Oedipus and the Sphinx with the Swing)

Original poster

1979

59 x 40 cm

Very Good Condition (see image)
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Alfred Courmes (1898–1993) was an unclassifiable French surrealist painter celebrated for his subversion of classical art. Trained under cubist Master Roger de La Fresnaye, Courmes developed a highly provocative style that combined meticulous Quattrocento-inspired technique with caustic modern irony.

Dubbed the "Angel of Bad Taste" by critics, he routinely injected pop culture, contemporary advertising, and anachronistic humor into traditional religious and mythological themes.

His 1945 artwork, Œdipe et le Sphinx avec la balançoire (Oedipus and the Sphinx with the Swing), reimagines the legendary Greek myth where Oedipus encounters the riddling monster. In the classical tale, solving the riddle requires intellectual dominance, but Courmes transforms this tense confrontation into a bizarre, erotic playground encounter. Oedipus is rendered as a statuesque green classical figure, while the female Sphinx leans back with wings outstretched.

The introduction of the wooden rope swing functions as a powerful surrealist symbol. Instead of representing a fatal trial, the myth is reduced to a game of courtship and leisure, completely neutralizing the inherent danger of the monster. The swing symbolizes the precarious, shifting balance of power between man and beast, fate and free will. Courmes employs flat blocks of primary blue, green, and orange to fragment the classical linework. This technique slices through historical gravity to expose the absurdity of heroic myths through a distinctly modern, cynical lens. This piece has an attribution mark,
I am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
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