Louis Valtat - Maison au fond du Jardin - image-1

Lot 302 N

Louis Valtat - Maison au fond du Jardin

Auction 1033 - overview Cologne
30.05.2014, 18:00 - Modern Art
Estimate: 80.000 € - 90.000 €
Result: 97.600 € (incl. premium)

Louis Valtat

Maison au fond du Jardin
Circa 1907

Oil on canvas 80 x 65,3 cm Framed. Signed 'L. Valtat' lower left. - In fine condition with fresh colours. Partially with tiny losses of colour.

From 1898 to 1914, the centre of Louis Valtat's life lay in the south of France. He initially lived in the small fisherman's village of Apay and later in the seaside town of Anthéor, which is situated between St. Raphael and Cannes and where he owned a house. During the time he spent in southern France, Valtat was in frequent contact with the other artists living in the area, such as Paul Signac and Auguste Renoir. It was also the latter who introduced Valtat to the respected art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939). Vollard played a decisive role in the development of modern art at that time, and our painting comes from his own collection. His bold and clairvoyant approach, but also his sensitivity and dedication, have repeatedly been pointed out. Louis Valtat was under contract with the dealer from 1900 to 1912. Vollard was also the one who organised Valtat's first solo exhibition, shown in his Paris gallery in 1900. In 1905 Valtat's paintings were presented in the “Salon d' Automne”. This was the legendary exhibition at which the journalist Louis Vauxcelles coined the term “Fauves”.
The main accent of our painting clearly lies in the colouristic treatment - in the radiant character of its colour. The contrast between the depiction of what the artist saw is particularly captivating: the quite naturalistic depiction of the house, which includes diverse effects of light and shadow, as well as the lush vegetation - which confronts the viewer with an abundance of pure colour values. The very personal depiction of a sensory perception and a positive attitude towards life, which is defined through the southern light, find a masterly expression here.

Catalogue Raisonné

Not recorded by Jean Valtat

Certificate

With a certificate of authenticity by Caroline Valtat, the artist's granddaughter, dated 24 June 2010. The painting is registered under the no. H/100602.

Provenance

Collection Ambroise Vollard, Paris; Private possession, Switzerland

Exhibitions

Lodève 2011 (Musée de Lodève), Louis Valtat à l'aube du fauvisme, no. 126 with full-page colour illus. p. 197