Fernand Leger (French, 1881-1955) "Study for the Fireplace Mural at the Nelson Rockefeller Mansion, 810 Fifth Avenue, New York", 1938 gouache and pencil on paper laid on cardboard unsigned, numbered "111" in pencil lower center, "Solomon & Co., New York" and "Lerner-Heller, New York" labels on frame backing. Framed. sheet 11" x 7-1/2", framed 18-3/4" x 17-1/4" Provenance: Lerner-Heller Gallery, New York, New York; Christie's, New York, New York, November 5, 1981, lot 426; Solomon and Company Fine Art, New York, New York; Estate of Elaine Levy Proler, Houston, Texas. Notes: Through Wally Harrison, architect of the Rockefeller Center, Fernand Leger was introduced to Nelson D. Rockefeller, when he and Henri Matisse were commissioned by the magnate in 1938 to paint two spacious fireplaces that Harrison had designed for the New York mansion on 5th Avenue. Leger's goal was to create an "attractive arrangement of colors" that relate to the "animated landscapes" he exhibited at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York in 1937. In this body of work, Leger explores the interplay between organic forms derived from trees, aloe plants and seaweed with architectural elements innate to the post and lintel structure of the fireplace and rich paneling of the 14th floor livingroom. Leger executed several gouache and card studies for this mural-all slight variations of the study offered here. According to Rockefeller's recollection, he created the work in situ: "I used to watch Leger in fascination as he painted and the details unfolded. After he finished, we liked it so much we persuaded him to do additional murals for the circular stairwell and hallways…." A few of the studies have sold at auction, most recently the 2015 sale at the Hotel des Ventes de Monte Carlo in Monaco, where three studies were prepared on one card. Three other well known studies are conserved at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.