HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954) Portrait du peintre Pallady
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Portrait du peintre Pallady
signed and dated 'Henri Matisse août 39' (lower left)
charcoal on paper
24 x 16 1/8 in (61 x 41 cm)
Executed in Paris in August 1939
The authenticity of this work was confirmed by Wanda de Guébriant.
Provenance
Pierre Matisse Collection, New York (the artist's son).
Pierre-Noël Matisse Collection, Paris (the artist's grandson; by descent from the above); his Estate sale, Christie's, New York, November 7, 2007, lot 111.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
B. Brezianu, 'O prietenie exemplară, Henri Matisse și Theodor Pallady,' in Secolul 20, vol. I, 1970, p. 169 (illustrated).
L. Delectorskaya, Henri Matisse, Contre vents et marées, Peinture et livres illustrés de 1939 à 1943, Paris, 1996, p. 42 (illustrated).
Henri Matisse's series of works depicting women adorned in beautifully embroidered Romanian blouses were inspired by his friendship with the celebrated Romanian painter Theodor Pallady, the subject of the present drawing. Pallady had gifted Matisse with a collection of traditional blouses with their distinctive geometric bands, wide sleeves and bold coloration, which lent themselves exceptionally well to the artist's exploration of composition, line and form.
By the time the present work was created, the artists had been friends for almost four decades, having met in Paris around 1892, in Gustave Moreau's studio where they worked alongside Georges Rouault and Albert Marquet. Matisse was particularly drawn to the distinguished appearance of the celebrated Romanian painter; their familiarity with and fondness for each other is laid bare in this portrayal.
Bid on this lot
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Portrait du peintre Pallady
signed and dated 'Henri Matisse août 39' (lower left)
charcoal on paper
24 x 16 1/8 in (61 x 41 cm)
Executed in Paris in August 1939
The authenticity of this work was confirmed by Wanda de Guébriant.
Provenance
Pierre Matisse Collection, New York (the artist's son).
Pierre-Noël Matisse Collection, Paris (the artist's grandson; by descent from the above); his Estate sale, Christie's, New York, November 7, 2007, lot 111.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
B. Brezianu, 'O prietenie exemplară, Henri Matisse și Theodor Pallady,' in Secolul 20, vol. I, 1970, p. 169 (illustrated).
L. Delectorskaya, Henri Matisse, Contre vents et marées, Peinture et livres illustrés de 1939 à 1943, Paris, 1996, p. 42 (illustrated).
Henri Matisse's series of works depicting women adorned in beautifully embroidered Romanian blouses were inspired by his friendship with the celebrated Romanian painter Theodor Pallady, the subject of the present drawing. Pallady had gifted Matisse with a collection of traditional blouses with their distinctive geometric bands, wide sleeves and bold coloration, which lent themselves exceptionally well to the artist's exploration of composition, line and form.
By the time the present work was created, the artists had been friends for almost four decades, having met in Paris around 1892, in Gustave Moreau's studio where they worked alongside Georges Rouault and Albert Marquet. Matisse was particularly drawn to the distinguished appearance of the celebrated Romanian painter; their familiarity with and fondness for each other is laid bare in this portrayal.
