1887
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Van Gogh Lautrec Monet 1879-1887 Flowers
See also : Van Gogh Lautrec Monet 1879-1887 Flowers
van GOGH
1
end of winter 1887 Montmartre
2021 SOLD for € 13M by Sotheby's
Vincent van Gogh arrives in Paris in March 1886. He stays with his brother Theo and attends the Cormon workshop where he meets Toulouse-Lautrec. The nearby Butte Montmartre exerts an irrepressible attraction. In June Theo and Vincent settle on the slopes of the Butte, rue Lepic.
The atmosphere is both rustic and festive. The Butte rises to 130 m above sea level, without shelter from the wind. The mills are picturesque. In the most famous of them, the Debray family has been producing high quality flour since 1809, for which this already old mill is named Moulin de la Galette or Moulin Blute Fin. The enclosure is transformed into an entertainment area for drinking and dancing. The Moulin à Poivre is built therein in 1865.
The Dutch artist is keen of windmills. He loves the pure air of the hills and will not fail, two years later, to start his exploration of Arles with Montmajour. His style changes. His paintings of the Montmartre mills have bright and cheerful colors. His scenes populated by quiet figures are post-impressionist, with soft lines and stylized faces. They will be copiously imitated by Utrillo.
On March 25, 2021, Sotheby's sold for € 13M from a lower estimate of € 5M a view of Montmartre painted by Vincent at the end of the 1887 winter, lot 6 recently rediscovered by the commissaires-priseurs Mirabaud-Mercier. The scene is centered on the Moulin à Poivre in close-up, while another mill is visible far away on the horizon.
This 46 x 63 cm oil on canvas had been in a private collection for a century, out of sight of public and experts. The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Grok response :
Quote
Artnet @artnet Mar 8, 2021
A Vincent van Gogh never before seen in public could fetch nearly $10 million at auction next month: https://bit.ly/30elgrc
The atmosphere is both rustic and festive. The Butte rises to 130 m above sea level, without shelter from the wind. The mills are picturesque. In the most famous of them, the Debray family has been producing high quality flour since 1809, for which this already old mill is named Moulin de la Galette or Moulin Blute Fin. The enclosure is transformed into an entertainment area for drinking and dancing. The Moulin à Poivre is built therein in 1865.
The Dutch artist is keen of windmills. He loves the pure air of the hills and will not fail, two years later, to start his exploration of Arles with Montmajour. His style changes. His paintings of the Montmartre mills have bright and cheerful colors. His scenes populated by quiet figures are post-impressionist, with soft lines and stylized faces. They will be copiously imitated by Utrillo.
On March 25, 2021, Sotheby's sold for € 13M from a lower estimate of € 5M a view of Montmartre painted by Vincent at the end of the 1887 winter, lot 6 recently rediscovered by the commissaires-priseurs Mirabaud-Mercier. The scene is centered on the Moulin à Poivre in close-up, while another mill is visible far away on the horizon.
This 46 x 63 cm oil on canvas had been in a private collection for a century, out of sight of public and experts. The image is shared by Wikimedia. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Grok response :
Quote
Artnet @artnet Mar 8, 2021
A Vincent van Gogh never before seen in public could fetch nearly $10 million at auction next month: https://bit.ly/30elgrc
- The painting, "The Moulin de Blute-Fin," depicts a Montmartre windmill and was created by Vincent van Gogh in 1886, reflecting his early Paris period where he shifted from dark tones to brighter Impressionist influences, a transition later validated by art historians analyzing his palette evolution in studies like the 1991 Van Gogh Museum catalog.
- This artwork, unseen publicly until its 2021 auction announcement, emerged from a private collection in an apartment near its original site, highlighting how Montmartre’s historical charm—documented in the 2020 A French Collection article—preserved such pieces, with its value estimated at $10 million due to rarity, as Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime.
- Skepticism about its authenticity, as noted in the thread, aligns with forensic art analysis challenges; a 2018 study in the Journal of Cultural Heritage used X-ray fluorescence to detect forgeries, suggesting the need for rigorous testing given Van Gogh’s prolific post-mortem market of disputed wor
2
May-July 1887 Les Canots amarrés
2024 SOLD for HK$ 250M by Christie's
By chance Vincent van Gogh was already in Paris when the eighth and final group exhibition of the Impressionnistes opened in May 1886, unveiling the then controversial pointillist masterpiece Un dimanche après-midi à l'Ile de la Grande Jatte by Seurat.
Vincent was eager to develop a new style of painting inspired by the whole extent of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist achievement. In most days from early May to late July 1887 he brought his canvas and hardware by foot from Montmartre to Asnières there and back in the company of his younger fellows Paul Signac or Emile Bernard, for painting sceneries of the Seine in the vicinity of the pont d'Asnières and of the Grande Jatte.
Nine views of Asnières from an overall of about 40 have a unique size of canvas 52 x 65 cm, a palette of bold luminous colors new for the artist and a specific red painted thin framing line on the whole perimeter. The elongated brush stroke is an elementary piece of color inspired by Seurat's breakthrough technique but depending on the motif instead of retaining the pointillist dot shape.
Vincent's younger brother Theo died in January 1890. In an inventory of Theo's Paris apartment later in that year, the brother of Theo's widow split the series in three triptychs which were exhibited as such in 1896 in Ambroise Vollard's gallery. There is an assumption that each triptych had been originally painted on a compartmented piece of canvas nearly 2 m long.
Les Canots amarrés is one of the nine views, displaying rowing boats moored on the shore of the Seine. It was sold for HK $ 250M by Christie's on September 26, 2024, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Vincent was eager to develop a new style of painting inspired by the whole extent of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist achievement. In most days from early May to late July 1887 he brought his canvas and hardware by foot from Montmartre to Asnières there and back in the company of his younger fellows Paul Signac or Emile Bernard, for painting sceneries of the Seine in the vicinity of the pont d'Asnières and of the Grande Jatte.
Nine views of Asnières from an overall of about 40 have a unique size of canvas 52 x 65 cm, a palette of bold luminous colors new for the artist and a specific red painted thin framing line on the whole perimeter. The elongated brush stroke is an elementary piece of color inspired by Seurat's breakthrough technique but depending on the motif instead of retaining the pointillist dot shape.
Vincent's younger brother Theo died in January 1890. In an inventory of Theo's Paris apartment later in that year, the brother of Theo's widow split the series in three triptychs which were exhibited as such in 1896 in Ambroise Vollard's gallery. There is an assumption that each triptych had been originally painted on a compartmented piece of canvas nearly 2 m long.
Les Canots amarrés is one of the nine views, displaying rowing boats moored on the shore of the Seine. It was sold for HK $ 250M by Christie's on September 26, 2024, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
3
May-July 1887 Coin de Jardin avec Papillons
2024 SOLD for $ 33M by Christie's
As an artistic movement, the Impressionnisme is in decline in 1886. Monet and some early adopters refuse to participate in their eighth exhibition, which will be the last one, because Pissarro supports Seurat and Signac.
Monet remains a reference. Young artists express the beauty of a little detail of nature, simply. Moving away from the traditional landscape and still life, they open the path to abstract expressionism. Returning to England after a visit to Giverny, Sargent painted in 1886 a humble embankment of poppies with brilliant colors, sold by Sotheby's for $ 6.9M on May 18, 2016, lot 8.
Vincent van Gogh is in Paris in 1886. He admits that until then he had no knowledge of current art. He had admired Millet, Daubigny and Mesdag. He integrates his discovery of Impressionnisme with dazzling energy but, always in quest for a personal and perfect art, he does not imitate them.
In 1886 Vincent painted many views of Paris. In the following year he worked beside Signac in the Parc Voyer d'Argenson, overlooking the Seine at Asnières in the steps of Seurat.
An undated Coin de Jardin avec Papillons has long puzzled the experts. Its painstaking realization suggested to La Faille that it was painted in Saint-Rémy in the spring of 1889, by comparison with the Iris.
For the textures in the flower bed and the ground of Coin de Jardin, Vincent used long brush strokes intertwined in the style of Monet's snows at Giverny instead of the tiny elements of bright colors practiced by Signac.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam suggests an execution in the spring of 1887, between May and July. If so, Vincent had experienced in the Asnières garden a style that he will use more regularly two years later. In his enthusiasm to master the art of painting in its entirety, this hypothesis is also plausible. There is a possible reference to this specific work in a March 1888 letter to Theo.
This oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm was sold for $ 33M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 29 B. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 17, 2024
Vincent van Gogh's swirling 'Coin de jardin avec papillons' has sold for $33,185,000 during tonight's #20thCenturyEveningSale
Monet remains a reference. Young artists express the beauty of a little detail of nature, simply. Moving away from the traditional landscape and still life, they open the path to abstract expressionism. Returning to England after a visit to Giverny, Sargent painted in 1886 a humble embankment of poppies with brilliant colors, sold by Sotheby's for $ 6.9M on May 18, 2016, lot 8.
Vincent van Gogh is in Paris in 1886. He admits that until then he had no knowledge of current art. He had admired Millet, Daubigny and Mesdag. He integrates his discovery of Impressionnisme with dazzling energy but, always in quest for a personal and perfect art, he does not imitate them.
In 1886 Vincent painted many views of Paris. In the following year he worked beside Signac in the Parc Voyer d'Argenson, overlooking the Seine at Asnières in the steps of Seurat.
An undated Coin de Jardin avec Papillons has long puzzled the experts. Its painstaking realization suggested to La Faille that it was painted in Saint-Rémy in the spring of 1889, by comparison with the Iris.
For the textures in the flower bed and the ground of Coin de Jardin, Vincent used long brush strokes intertwined in the style of Monet's snows at Giverny instead of the tiny elements of bright colors practiced by Signac.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam suggests an execution in the spring of 1887, between May and July. If so, Vincent had experienced in the Asnières garden a style that he will use more regularly two years later. In his enthusiasm to master the art of painting in its entirety, this hypothesis is also plausible. There is a possible reference to this specific work in a March 1888 letter to Theo.
This oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm was sold for $ 33M by Christie's on May 16, 2024, lot 29 B. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 17, 2024
Vincent van Gogh's swirling 'Coin de jardin avec papillons' has sold for $33,185,000 during tonight's #20thCenturyEveningSale
- The painting "Coin de jardin avec papillons" by Vincent van Gogh, sold for $33.18 million at Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale, was likely created in 1887 during his Paris period, not 1889 in Arles as previously thought, based on the Van Gogh Museum's material analysis challenging earlier catalog dates.
- Van Gogh sold fewer than a handful of works during his lifetime, with "The Red Vineyard" (1888) being one of the few documented sales to Anna Boch, making the high auction price of this piece a striking contrast to his historical financial obscurity, as noted by the Van Gogh Museum's research.
- The artwork’s depiction of a flower bed in Asnières, northwest of Paris, reflects Van Gogh's early experimentation with vibrant colors and thick brushstrokes, influenced by Impressionism, which later evolved into his iconic post-Impressionist style during his Arles period.
4
Summer 1887 Jardin devant le Mas Debray
2023 SOLD for $ 23.3M by Sotheby's
A view by Vincent van Gogh of a garden in front of a farmhouse had long been attributed to his detailed exploration of the village of Auvers from his arrival therein in May 1890. In the early 1990s it was found from vintage photos that it represented the mas of the Debray family of Moulin de la Galette fame. Incorporated in the city of Paris in 1860, Montmartre still had a rural aspect in Vincent's time.
Vincent moves to Paris in 1886. He admits that hitherto he had no knowledge of current art. He had admired Millet, Daubigny and Mesdag. He integrates his discovery of Impressionnisme with dazzling energy but, always in quest for a personal and perfect art, he does not imitate them.
Due to bright palette and to the divisionnist strokes in the flowers, the terminus post quem of the Jardin is 1887. The blooming suggests that it was painted in Summer. Nevertheless Vincent was also relying on his imagination. No evidence has been found of sunflowers in Debray's garden.
In his 1889 and 1890 pictures in Provence and Auvers, the influence of Signac on Vincent remains important : the overall effect of a painting is brought by tiny elements of bright colors. For the detail of the texture, Vincent rather retains the long brush strokes intertwined in the white snows of Monet. It is indeed quite difficult for an expert to find a difference in style between the end of his Paris period and Auvers.
Jardin devant le Mas Debray is altogether one of the most impressionist pictures by Vincent and one of his latest landscapes in Montmartre. This oil on canvas 31 x 41 cm was sold for $ 23.3M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 114. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Vincent moves to Paris in 1886. He admits that hitherto he had no knowledge of current art. He had admired Millet, Daubigny and Mesdag. He integrates his discovery of Impressionnisme with dazzling energy but, always in quest for a personal and perfect art, he does not imitate them.
Due to bright palette and to the divisionnist strokes in the flowers, the terminus post quem of the Jardin is 1887. The blooming suggests that it was painted in Summer. Nevertheless Vincent was also relying on his imagination. No evidence has been found of sunflowers in Debray's garden.
In his 1889 and 1890 pictures in Provence and Auvers, the influence of Signac on Vincent remains important : the overall effect of a painting is brought by tiny elements of bright colors. For the detail of the texture, Vincent rather retains the long brush strokes intertwined in the white snows of Monet. It is indeed quite difficult for an expert to find a difference in style between the end of his Paris period and Auvers.
Jardin devant le Mas Debray is altogether one of the most impressionist pictures by Vincent and one of his latest landscapes in Montmartre. This oil on canvas 31 x 41 cm was sold for $ 23.3M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2023, lot 114. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
#AuctionUpdate: The radical shift in the work of Vincent Van Gogh that is demonstrated through his piece, ‘Jardin devant le Mas Debray’ and forever altered the history of modern art has been auctioned off at #SothebysNewYork for $23.3M. #SothebysModern pic.twitter.com/nNEVRih8z0
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 16, 2023
5
November - December 1887 Romans Parisiens
2025 SOLD for $ 63M by Sotheby's
Romans Parisiens, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in November-December 1887 by Van Gogh, was sold for $ 63M from a lower estimate of $ 40M by Sotheby's on November 20, 2025, lot 6.
Asking Grok : What is the intention of the artist with this atypical theme ? Why is it specified as 'Parisiens' ? Are there other examples in similar themes by van Gogh ?
Grok thought :
Vincent van Gogh's Piles de romans parisiens et roses dans une verre (Romans parisiens), painted in late 1887 during his time in Paris, is a vibrant still life depicting stacks of French novels with colorful covers (primarily yellow), a glass containing roses, and a single rose. It's being offered as lot 6 in Sotheby's The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection Evening Auction on November 20, 2025, in New York, with an estimate around $40 million.
Artist's Intention with This Atypical Theme
While Van Gogh is renowned for landscapes, portraits, and floral still lifes, this work stands out for its focus on books as the central motif, which was less common in his oeuvre but reflected his deep personal passions. As an avid reader who described literature as an "irresistible passion" that provided companionship during periods of loneliness, Van Gogh intended the painting as a celebration of modern French Naturalist literature, which he admired for its truthful and emotional depiction of everyday life. Authors like Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, and the Goncourt brothers (Edmond and Jules) influenced him profoundly, offering insights into human nature that paralleled his own artistic goals of elevating ordinary subjects to profound expressions. The composition—with piles of well-thumbed books, one seemingly just set down—invites viewers into an intellectual engagement, transforming a simple still life into a "literary manifesto" about the intersection of art, literature, and modern urban life. Stylistically, it served as an experiment in bold color contrasts (e.g., yellow books against striped orange-green wallpaper) and composition, honing his skills amid Paris's avant-garde scene before his move to Arles. The theme's atypical nature for Van Gogh lies in its intellectual, socio-cultural emphasis rather than pure naturalism, marking a homage to his past influences while foreshadowing his evolving style.
Why Specified as 'Parisiens'?
Van Gogh himself titled the work Romans Parisiens in his letters, emphasizing its connection to the cultural and literary world of Paris, where he lived with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888. "Parisiens" specifically refers to the contemporary French novels (romans) popular in Paris at the time, often published as affordable "livres jaunes" (yellow books) by houses like Charpentier. These mass-market paperbacks democratized literature, making works by authors like Zola, Flaubert, and Dickens accessible to the public, and their bright yellow covers were instantly recognizable to contemporaries as symbols of modern Parisian urbanity and intellectual vibrancy. The specification distinguishes these from other literature, rooting the painting in the city's avant-garde milieu that inspired Van Gogh's shift toward brighter palettes and social themes.
Other Examples in Similar Themes
Van Gogh frequently incorporated books into his works as symbols of knowledge, emotion, and personal growth, though full still lifes centered on them are rarer than his floral or food compositions. Here are key examples:
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Asking Grok : What is the intention of the artist with this atypical theme ? Why is it specified as 'Parisiens' ? Are there other examples in similar themes by van Gogh ?
Grok thought :
Vincent van Gogh's Piles de romans parisiens et roses dans une verre (Romans parisiens), painted in late 1887 during his time in Paris, is a vibrant still life depicting stacks of French novels with colorful covers (primarily yellow), a glass containing roses, and a single rose. It's being offered as lot 6 in Sotheby's The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection Evening Auction on November 20, 2025, in New York, with an estimate around $40 million.
Artist's Intention with This Atypical Theme
While Van Gogh is renowned for landscapes, portraits, and floral still lifes, this work stands out for its focus on books as the central motif, which was less common in his oeuvre but reflected his deep personal passions. As an avid reader who described literature as an "irresistible passion" that provided companionship during periods of loneliness, Van Gogh intended the painting as a celebration of modern French Naturalist literature, which he admired for its truthful and emotional depiction of everyday life. Authors like Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, and the Goncourt brothers (Edmond and Jules) influenced him profoundly, offering insights into human nature that paralleled his own artistic goals of elevating ordinary subjects to profound expressions. The composition—with piles of well-thumbed books, one seemingly just set down—invites viewers into an intellectual engagement, transforming a simple still life into a "literary manifesto" about the intersection of art, literature, and modern urban life. Stylistically, it served as an experiment in bold color contrasts (e.g., yellow books against striped orange-green wallpaper) and composition, honing his skills amid Paris's avant-garde scene before his move to Arles. The theme's atypical nature for Van Gogh lies in its intellectual, socio-cultural emphasis rather than pure naturalism, marking a homage to his past influences while foreshadowing his evolving style.
Why Specified as 'Parisiens'?
Van Gogh himself titled the work Romans Parisiens in his letters, emphasizing its connection to the cultural and literary world of Paris, where he lived with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888. "Parisiens" specifically refers to the contemporary French novels (romans) popular in Paris at the time, often published as affordable "livres jaunes" (yellow books) by houses like Charpentier. These mass-market paperbacks democratized literature, making works by authors like Zola, Flaubert, and Dickens accessible to the public, and their bright yellow covers were instantly recognizable to contemporaries as symbols of modern Parisian urbanity and intellectual vibrancy. The specification distinguishes these from other literature, rooting the painting in the city's avant-garde milieu that inspired Van Gogh's shift toward brighter palettes and social themes.
Other Examples in Similar Themes
Van Gogh frequently incorporated books into his works as symbols of knowledge, emotion, and personal growth, though full still lifes centered on them are rarer than his floral or food compositions. Here are key examples:
- Still Life with Bible (1885): Features an open Bible alongside Zola's La Joie de Vivre, contrasting traditional religion with modern literature and signaling Van Gogh's evolving worldview.
- Still Life with Three Books (1887): Depicts specific novels like Zola's Au Bonheur des Dames, Jean Richepin's Braves Gens, and the Goncourts' La Fille Elisa, highlighting his admiration for truthful portrayals of life.
- Still Life with Plaster Statuette, a Rose and Two Novels (1887): Includes Maupassant's Bel Ami and the Goncourts' Germinie Lacerteux, blending sculpture, flowers, and books to evoke joy and artistic development.
- Still Life: French Novels (1888): A companion piece to Romans Parisiens, with similar book stacks but a tilted perspective and flatter colors, likely painted in Arles.
- Still Life: Vase with Oleanders and Books (1888): Combines flowers with books, including Zola's La Joie de Vivre again, bookending his literary motifs.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
MONET
1
1887 Sous les Peupliers
2014 SOLD for $ 20.3M by Sotheby's
Monet traveled extensively all along the 1880s in search of the most spectacular scenery of the French countryside. Better than anyone, he observed the light. At the end of this creative phase, he enters into communion with the agrarian landscape, beginning to escape the need to locate the view.
On November 4, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 20.3M from a lower estimate of $ 12M an oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in 1887 entitled Sous les peupliers (under the poplars), lot 28. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The control of his art is total. His impressionist manner is reinforced by a thick paint and the colors, as always, are beautiful and expressive. A similar view is held at the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart. They are identified as the rural landscape in Limetz, not so far from Giverny.
This is in some way the culmination of the landscape art in France. Monet believes that his maturity is total. In the next year, he will be disappointed when the light and the wind of the Mediterranea will be too violent for his technique of outdoor painting. A new phase begins for him with more systematic studies of tiny variations of light in structured series: Haystacks in 1890 soon followed by the Poplars and by the Rouen Cathedrals.
On November 4, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 20.3M from a lower estimate of $ 12M an oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in 1887 entitled Sous les peupliers (under the poplars), lot 28. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The control of his art is total. His impressionist manner is reinforced by a thick paint and the colors, as always, are beautiful and expressive. A similar view is held at the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart. They are identified as the rural landscape in Limetz, not so far from Giverny.
This is in some way the culmination of the landscape art in France. Monet believes that his maturity is total. In the next year, he will be disappointed when the light and the wind of the Mediterranea will be too violent for his technique of outdoor painting. A new phase begins for him with more systematic studies of tiny variations of light in structured series: Haystacks in 1890 soon followed by the Poplars and by the Rouen Cathedrals.
2
1887-1888 Les Peupliers à Giverny
2015 SOLD for £ 10.8M by Sotheby's
In the 1880s, Claude Monet is the landscape painter of France. Like Cézanne and Sisley, he however specializes in views close to his residence. His distant excursions that become rarer stimulate him to better observe his new paradise, the countryside around Giverny.
1887 marks the culmination of this slow evolution, including improvements in the texture of his paint.
On February 3, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 10.8M Les Peupliers à Giverny, lot 21. This oil on canvas 74 x 93 cm belonged since 1951 to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The composition of this picture is powerful. Its theme is the sunset of the early autumn in high treetops where the light turns into fire whirls. Through the trees, the clear sky and the fields offer sumptuous colors. The horizon was not useful for this exceptional landscape : it is hidden by the leaves.
1887 marks the culmination of this slow evolution, including improvements in the texture of his paint.
On February 3, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 10.8M Les Peupliers à Giverny, lot 21. This oil on canvas 74 x 93 cm belonged since 1951 to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The composition of this picture is powerful. Its theme is the sunset of the early autumn in high treetops where the light turns into fire whirls. Through the trees, the clear sky and the fields offer sumptuous colors. The horizon was not useful for this exceptional landscape : it is hidden by the leaves.
1887 Jeunes Filles jouant au Volant by Renoir
2014 SOLD for $ 11.4M by Christie's
After 1883, Renoir is looking for a new path. Impressionism is no longer suitable to him. The scenes of modern life that had made him so successful are no more decorative enough for his taste. Wanting a more sustainable art, he loses the references of clothing by undressing the young women and seeks to emulate Ingres.
Renoir exhibits his new style in 1887 with Les Grandes Baigneuses, oil on canvas 115 x 170 cm. The composition is neat, with a good balance between these happy women. The contours of their nude forms are a rejection of Impressionism by one of its main initiators. Failure is scathing.
On May 6, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 11.4M an oil on canvas 55 x 65 cm from the same period, lot 10, which illustrates the same desire of the artist to radically change his style. His work is done at that time in the studio, even for outdoor scenes.
In a meadow, five young women are playing rackets. They are dressed, but their attentive communication is similar to the Grandes Baigneuses. The figures are defined in sharp lines, leaving a reminder of impressionism only in the atmosphere of the surroundings.
Renoir exhibits his new style in 1887 with Les Grandes Baigneuses, oil on canvas 115 x 170 cm. The composition is neat, with a good balance between these happy women. The contours of their nude forms are a rejection of Impressionism by one of its main initiators. Failure is scathing.
On May 6, 2014, Christie's sold for $ 11.4M an oil on canvas 55 x 65 cm from the same period, lot 10, which illustrates the same desire of the artist to radically change his style. His work is done at that time in the studio, even for outdoor scenes.
In a meadow, five young women are playing rackets. They are dressed, but their attentive communication is similar to the Grandes Baigneuses. The figures are defined in sharp lines, leaving a reminder of impressionism only in the atmosphere of the surroundings.
1887 Danseuse attachant son chausson by Degas
2022 SOLD for $ 9M by Christie's
The dance is made to enchant. At the Opéra Garnier, Edgar Degas observes the occupational life in the backstage. This theme responds to his need to explore new artistic paths, through the liveliness of colors, the originality of the framing and the spontaneity of the movement. He chooses the technique of pastel on paper to better highlight the colors.
The dance uniform is the tutu, composed of a corselet and a puffed skirt mounted on several superimposed petticoats and embellished with a large bow in the shape of a butterfly. The colors are clear in harmony with the skin. This recent fashion was inaugurated by Marie Taglioni in 1832, two years before the artist's birth.
Opéra girls are capable of all contortions, without effort. The foot is an object of constant attention. Degas watches the dancer lacing up her pink shoe before entering the stage or massaging her ankle after the performance.
A pastel on buff paper 48 x 43 cm painted in 1887, titled Danseuse attachant son chausson, was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 1C. The young ballerina bends down to tie the ribbon of her ballet slipper with her feet turned out. Tutu and sash thrown upwards constitute a surreal relief in radiant colors and sharp lines.
The girl featured in 1887 in a pastel 50 x 62 cm is certainly the same ballerina as in the example above although the faces are not visible. Seated, she is is leaning for catching her foot while her head is below knee level.
Degas was a great innovator in terms of the angles of his images. Here, he looks at the girl from above, in a surreal position that he could not hold in reality and demonstrates the high role of imagination in his art. The crushing anamorphic plans transform the young dancer and her raising tutu into a butterfly with symmetrical wings in the colors of shimmering silk.
This pastel on paper titled Danseuse rajustant son chausson was sold for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's on February 5, 2013, lot 19.
A smaller pastel 47 x 33 cm from the same series and period was sold for € 2.7M by Sotheby's on March 25, 2021, lot 3. The predominantly green tutu is actually made of a subtle mix of colors that have remained in very good condition. The sitting position is eccentric and of great spontaneity, with the long hair falling in front of the face in this forward movement to catch the foot.
The dance uniform is the tutu, composed of a corselet and a puffed skirt mounted on several superimposed petticoats and embellished with a large bow in the shape of a butterfly. The colors are clear in harmony with the skin. This recent fashion was inaugurated by Marie Taglioni in 1832, two years before the artist's birth.
Opéra girls are capable of all contortions, without effort. The foot is an object of constant attention. Degas watches the dancer lacing up her pink shoe before entering the stage or massaging her ankle after the performance.
A pastel on buff paper 48 x 43 cm painted in 1887, titled Danseuse attachant son chausson, was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 4M by Christie's on May 12, 2022, lot 1C. The young ballerina bends down to tie the ribbon of her ballet slipper with her feet turned out. Tutu and sash thrown upwards constitute a surreal relief in radiant colors and sharp lines.
The girl featured in 1887 in a pastel 50 x 62 cm is certainly the same ballerina as in the example above although the faces are not visible. Seated, she is is leaning for catching her foot while her head is below knee level.
Degas was a great innovator in terms of the angles of his images. Here, he looks at the girl from above, in a surreal position that he could not hold in reality and demonstrates the high role of imagination in his art. The crushing anamorphic plans transform the young dancer and her raising tutu into a butterfly with symmetrical wings in the colors of shimmering silk.
This pastel on paper titled Danseuse rajustant son chausson was sold for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's on February 5, 2013, lot 19.
A smaller pastel 47 x 33 cm from the same series and period was sold for € 2.7M by Sotheby's on March 25, 2021, lot 3. The predominantly green tutu is actually made of a subtle mix of colors that have remained in very good condition. The sitting position is eccentric and of great spontaneity, with the long hair falling in front of the face in this forward movement to catch the foot.
The room is almost full. Only a couple of seats have gone unused. We start with a Degas pastel with at least five telephones bidding up to $7.5m, almost twice the low estimate. pic.twitter.com/gjT2UNuATG
— LiveArt (@artmarket) May 12, 2022
1887 Chemin sous les Palmiers by Gauguin
2019 SOLD for $ 8.2M by Sotheby's
Paul Gauguin participates in May 1886 in the 8th and last exhibition of the Impressionnistes but this style does not suit him anymore. Seeking his cultural roots, he makes his first stay in Brittany, which was still rather backward at that time and where life is cheap.
Gauguin has given up his job as a stockbroker since 1884, but art does not compensate. His financial and family difficulties become critical. He believes finding an Eldorado through the campaign of exalting and deceptive advertisements for the construction of the Panama Canal by the French. With Charles Laval, a young artist whom he had met at Pont-Aven, he leaves in April 1887 for Panama.
Panama does not offer wealth to its workers but rather malaria and yellow fever. The two adventurers are repatriated in June 1887 by a French boat which they leave in Martinique.
In the tropics, Gauguin finds the atmosphere of primordial society that he did not feel enough in Brittany. Due to racial differences, he is no longer handicapped by his brawling and quarreling temperament. He paints the bright colors of the landscape and the rural life.
On May 14, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 8.2M from a lower estimate of $ 6M Chemin sous les palmiers, oil on canvas 89 x 60 cm, lot 18. The tweet below is the detail of the top of the image.
After living for five months in a hut in Martinique, Gauguin brings back in France his finally retrieved enthusiasm, along with dysentery and marsh fever. He had developed in the Antilles a theory of painting from imagination that he will try in vain to inculcate to van Gogh.
Gauguin has given up his job as a stockbroker since 1884, but art does not compensate. His financial and family difficulties become critical. He believes finding an Eldorado through the campaign of exalting and deceptive advertisements for the construction of the Panama Canal by the French. With Charles Laval, a young artist whom he had met at Pont-Aven, he leaves in April 1887 for Panama.
Panama does not offer wealth to its workers but rather malaria and yellow fever. The two adventurers are repatriated in June 1887 by a French boat which they leave in Martinique.
In the tropics, Gauguin finds the atmosphere of primordial society that he did not feel enough in Brittany. Due to racial differences, he is no longer handicapped by his brawling and quarreling temperament. He paints the bright colors of the landscape and the rural life.
On May 14, 2019, Sotheby's sold for $ 8.2M from a lower estimate of $ 6M Chemin sous les palmiers, oil on canvas 89 x 60 cm, lot 18. The tweet below is the detail of the top of the image.
After living for five months in a hut in Martinique, Gauguin brings back in France his finally retrieved enthusiasm, along with dysentery and marsh fever. He had developed in the Antilles a theory of painting from imagination that he will try in vain to inculcate to van Gogh.
Painted in 1887, 'Chemin sous les palmiers' encapsulates Paul Gauguin's life-long interest in depicting the unfamiliar. Discover this highlight from #SothebysImpMod Evening Sale on 14 May in #NYC, on offer from The Levy Family Collection: https://t.co/O6aU6VFdGC pic.twitter.com/iZw703xITN
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 26, 2019
