On November 13 in New York, Christie's sells Les Régates de Nice, oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm painted in spring 1921, lot 18 A estimated $ 12M.
According to the taste of the artist, this painting is well balanced both as an interior and exterior scene with the pleasant colors of the Midi, from the vase of flowers on the table to the small white sails of the regatta on the deep blue sea.
Two quiet young women enliven this intimate scene. Standing in the window, the very young Henriette is the new favorite model of the artist, succeeding in this role to Antoinette who is pregnant. She looks at the sea. Her long skirt and her hair cut in the bowl are typical of the fashion of the roaring twenties.
From the beginning of their collaboration the friendship is deep between the nice Henriette and the Matisse family. The other woman on the balcony is Marguerite, Henri's daughter, less visible, curled up in a large armchair because of her fragile health.
SOLD for $ 16.6M including premium