HENRI LEBASQUE (1865-1937) La lecture au jardin

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED EUROPEAN COLLECTION
HENRI LEBASQUE (1865-1937)
La lecture au jardin
signed 'Lebasque.' (lower right)
oil on paper laid down on canvas
63 x 48cm (24 13/16 x 18 7/8in).
Painted circa 1918
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Maria de la Ville Fromoit and Christine Lenoir.

Provenance
Private collection, Europe (acquired by the early 1950s).
Private collection, Belgium (by descent from the above).

Exhibited
(Probably) Paris, Musée Galliera, Exposition rétrospective, Henri Lebasque, 1865-1937, 16 June – 9 July 1952, no. 52.

Bonhams is honoured to present the following selection of works from a distinguished family collection. This impressive group, carefully assembled over decades, is testament to a deep appreciation for Modern masters. Including works by Henri Lebasque, Bernard Buffet, Kees van Dongen, Armand Guillaumin, Jean Dufy and Jean Lurçat, this ensemble showcases a keen and discerning eye for high quality works of Impressionist & Modern Art.

Leading this group are three important works by Henri Lebasque - Les Andelys, La lecture au jardin and La Marne à Pomponne. While depicting different subjects, each is executed in a similarly delicate palette of blues and greens. This chromatic range of cool tones imbues each work with a charming softness, which was quintessential to Lebasque's painterly style. A soft luminosity thereby pervades each canvas, perfectly evoking the poetic gentleness that is to be found in the artist's most sought-after works.

In 1905, Lebasque exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, where he first met the Fauvists and was fascinated by their masterful use of pure and vivid colours. Although he learned from their visual language, he remained faithful to his own vision of calm and light, choosing not to follow their flamboyant palettes and intense contrasts. These three scenes - suffused with a gentle light, where harmony reigns - demonstrate Lebasque's artistic pursuit as a lyrical and intimate painter.

Also included in this group is an early landscape by Kees van Dongen, an example of which rarely comes to market. Executed in Holland circa 1895, before his move to Paris, Derrière la ferme conveys the artist's focus on evoking the atmosphere of a place, skilfully imbuing the rural quietude of the Holland countryside. Painted with earthy toned-down colours, van Dongen's early work reflects the influence of the Dutch master Rembrandt before he became one of the pioneers of the radical movement of Fauvism.