Tabletop
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Flowers Bouquet Music and dance Cézanne Matisse Van Gogh Gris Picasso 1907-31 Marie-Thérèse
Chronology : 1890-1899 1890 1893 1895 1911 1915 1919
See also : Flowers Bouquet Music and dance Cézanne Matisse Van Gogh Gris Picasso 1907-31 Marie-Thérèse
Chronology : 1890-1899 1890 1893 1895 1911 1915 1919
CEZANNE
Intro
Paul Cézanne returns in 1878 to settle in Aix-en-Provence. He is alone to face the torment of his creativity and no longer exhibits in public. He seeks a universal art, abolishing the differences between the most disparate themes : portraits, landscapes, still lifes. Each work is reworked relentlessly up to the multi-sensory perfection desired by the artist.
Painting is the only possible medium for his interpretation of life, because it allows color harmonies. The laws of the perspective itself are not untouchable. Impressionism does not go far enough.
Emile Zola has certainly appreciated the depth of Cézanne's theories and his difficulties in sharing them. In his novel L'Oeuvre published in 1886, he stages a misunderstood painter whose idealistic passion leads to failure. A later letter from Cézanne to Zola, recently found, contradicts the legend of their breakup. Cézanne was obviously too soaked in his research to be indignant at the concern of his college friend.
On February 27, 2019, Christie's sold for £ 21M as lot 6 a still life of fruit, oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm painted in the mid 1880s. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The theme is modest and the composition is minimalist. On a rustic table without any ornament in a slightly plunging perspective, a plate contains five peaches and a pear. Another pear is placed to the right of the plate. The subtle variety of fruit color is not however the main subject of this experiment.
If the plate is placed flat on the table, its perfect circle is impossible. It is therefore inclined, at the limit of the imbalance of the fruit pyramid. Cézanne knew that realism does not exist in painting : nature is too complex to be imitated and the surface of the canvas does not allow an illusion of real space.
A probably later work gives the key to the enigma : now viewed in profile, the plate is actually tilted. This 28 x 40 cm oil on canvas was sold for $ 8.1M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2017, lot 27.
Many years later, Matisse tries an axiom according to which Cézanne was too perfectionist to make a mistake. He thus discovers the de-construction of perspective in the most seemingly simplistic still lifes by Cézanne, an artist too far ahead of his own time.
Painting is the only possible medium for his interpretation of life, because it allows color harmonies. The laws of the perspective itself are not untouchable. Impressionism does not go far enough.
Emile Zola has certainly appreciated the depth of Cézanne's theories and his difficulties in sharing them. In his novel L'Oeuvre published in 1886, he stages a misunderstood painter whose idealistic passion leads to failure. A later letter from Cézanne to Zola, recently found, contradicts the legend of their breakup. Cézanne was obviously too soaked in his research to be indignant at the concern of his college friend.
On February 27, 2019, Christie's sold for £ 21M as lot 6 a still life of fruit, oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm painted in the mid 1880s. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The theme is modest and the composition is minimalist. On a rustic table without any ornament in a slightly plunging perspective, a plate contains five peaches and a pear. Another pear is placed to the right of the plate. The subtle variety of fruit color is not however the main subject of this experiment.
If the plate is placed flat on the table, its perfect circle is impossible. It is therefore inclined, at the limit of the imbalance of the fruit pyramid. Cézanne knew that realism does not exist in painting : nature is too complex to be imitated and the surface of the canvas does not allow an illusion of real space.
A probably later work gives the key to the enigma : now viewed in profile, the plate is actually tilted. This 28 x 40 cm oil on canvas was sold for $ 8.1M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2017, lot 27.
Many years later, Matisse tries an axiom according to which Cézanne was too perfectionist to make a mistake. He thus discovers the de-construction of perspective in the most seemingly simplistic still lifes by Cézanne, an artist too far ahead of his own time.
1
1888-1890 Bouilloire et Fruits
2019 SOLD for $ 59M by Christie's
For Cézanne the work of art is a challenge. The theme is of minor importance since nature can be evoked but is never copied. From the mid-1880s he studies the still life of fruit on a table as a support for his theories of shapes, colors, harmony and even movement.
A still life from that phase was sold for £ 21M by Christie's in 2019. The composition seems naively simple until we perceive the imbalance of the plate. The observer awaits the tilting that will roll the fruit onto the table.
The artist will then increase the complexity. Bouilloire et fruits, oil on canvas 49 x 60 cm painted between 1888 and 1890, offers the dynamic contrast between a heavy pot steadily placed on the table and the fruits in a precarious balance in the folds of the tablecloth.
Cézanne reworked each painting tirelessly, seeking a perfection that existed only in his own imagination. Sometimes he stops before it is finished. The handle and the body of the kettle are disjointed. A lemon or an apple that did not suit the artist left some traces without disappearing completely.
It does not matter: the variety of forms and the mingling of the colors that constitute the textures are already satisfactory. Cézanne accepts to sell this unfinished work to a collector.
Bouilloire et fruits was sold for £ 18M by Sotheby's on December 7, 1999 and for $ 59M by Christie's on May 13, 2019, lot 18A. Please watch the very short video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 14, 2019
Also from The Collection of S.I Newhouse, Cézanne's 'Bouilloire et fruits' realizes $59,295,000 at auction https://bit.ly/2PLtLnE
A still life from that phase was sold for £ 21M by Christie's in 2019. The composition seems naively simple until we perceive the imbalance of the plate. The observer awaits the tilting that will roll the fruit onto the table.
The artist will then increase the complexity. Bouilloire et fruits, oil on canvas 49 x 60 cm painted between 1888 and 1890, offers the dynamic contrast between a heavy pot steadily placed on the table and the fruits in a precarious balance in the folds of the tablecloth.
Cézanne reworked each painting tirelessly, seeking a perfection that existed only in his own imagination. Sometimes he stops before it is finished. The handle and the body of the kettle are disjointed. A lemon or an apple that did not suit the artist left some traces without disappearing completely.
It does not matter: the variety of forms and the mingling of the colors that constitute the textures are already satisfactory. Cézanne accepts to sell this unfinished work to a collector.
Bouilloire et fruits was sold for £ 18M by Sotheby's on December 7, 1999 and for $ 59M by Christie's on May 13, 2019, lot 18A. Please watch the very short video shared by the auction house.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 14, 2019
Also from The Collection of S.I Newhouse, Cézanne's 'Bouilloire et fruits' realizes $59,295,000 at auction https://bit.ly/2PLtLnE
- Christie's post highlights the $59.3 million sale of Paul Cézanne's 1888-1890 oil "Bouilloire et fruits," a dynamic still life of a pewter kettle amid scattered fruits and folds of white cloth, leading the May 13, 2019, auction of S.I. Newhouse's Impressionist masterpieces.
- The painting's "unfinished" aesthetic—exposing primed canvas and deliberate brushstrokes—reflects Cézanne's revolutionary approach to form, originally acquired during his lifetime by Baron Denys Cochin, one of the artist's earliest non-family collectors.
- Provenance traces through five generations, including a 1999 Sotheby's recovery after theft, before Newhouse's purchase; the sale contributed to his collection totaling over $400 million, affirming his eye for undervalued modern art gems.
Also from The Collection of S.I Newhouse, Cézanne's 'Bouilloire et fruits' realizes $59,295,000 at auction https://t.co/0XESM9gIJx pic.twitter.com/JX9L5TU85u
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 13, 2019
2
1889-1890 Les Pommes
2013 SOLD for $ 42M by Sotheby's
Chardin had an innovative interpretation of the still life. He wanted his painting to approach as close as possible to the truth, and brought an extreme care in the texture.
Cézanne plays with apples like an infant with cubes. Fruits are grouped within small uneven piles in which their variety of colors brings an additional appeal. Sometimes a group is interrupted by the frame as if the row of fruit was unlimited.
If we consider that the real subject is the painting itself and not the appealing fruit, Cézanne's apples anticipate abstract art. His still life puzzles the viewer by its original composition, as if it tried to tell a story or to evoke a feeling, like Kandinsky and Miro later. Each individual element is however realistic like an image by Chardin.
The group of apples for sale at Sotheby's on May 7, 2013 is both simple and bold. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm painted in 1889-1890 was sold for $ 42M from a lower estimate of $ 25M, lot 7. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Pommes et poires, in the same technique and size as Les Pommes, is certainly an opportunity to vary the range of colors. It was sold for $ 20M by Sotheby's in 2021.
Grok thought :
Quote
Enchères Publiques @encherepublique Mar 9, 2016
Paul Cézanne, LES POMMES - #Auction Result: $41,605,000 - Sotheby's New York, May 7, 2013
Cézanne plays with apples like an infant with cubes. Fruits are grouped within small uneven piles in which their variety of colors brings an additional appeal. Sometimes a group is interrupted by the frame as if the row of fruit was unlimited.
If we consider that the real subject is the painting itself and not the appealing fruit, Cézanne's apples anticipate abstract art. His still life puzzles the viewer by its original composition, as if it tried to tell a story or to evoke a feeling, like Kandinsky and Miro later. Each individual element is however realistic like an image by Chardin.
The group of apples for sale at Sotheby's on May 7, 2013 is both simple and bold. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm painted in 1889-1890 was sold for $ 42M from a lower estimate of $ 25M, lot 7. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Pommes et poires, in the same technique and size as Les Pommes, is certainly an opportunity to vary the range of colors. It was sold for $ 20M by Sotheby's in 2021.
Grok thought :
Quote
Enchères Publiques @encherepublique Mar 9, 2016
Paul Cézanne, LES POMMES - #Auction Result: $41,605,000 - Sotheby's New York, May 7, 2013
- This 2016 post by a French public auctions account shares a 2013 Sotheby's sale of Paul Cézanne's still life "Les Pommes," an oil painting from circa 1878-1887 depicting apples on a plate against a muted background.
- The work, measuring 15x18 inches, sold for $41.6 million—surpassing its $25-35 million estimate—and exemplifies Cézanne's innovative use of color and form that influenced modern art movements like Cubism.
- Provenance traces to dealer Ambroise Vollard; the sale contributed to a $230 million Impressionist auction total, highlighting Cézanne's status as a top market draw for post-Impressionist masterpieces.
3
1893 Fruits et Pot de Gingembre
2023 SOLD for $ 39M by Christie's
The still lifes of fruits and pot painted by Cézanne between 1890 and 1893 continue his experiments on the rhythmic confrontation of colors. They differ from the previous period by the hazardous unbalance of objects that supersedes the fake perspective of tilted plates.
The danger for a fruit to fall from the table is created by the folds of the crumpled cloth over the edge of the table. A typical example from the end of that period is the Rideau, cruchon et compotier 60 x 73 cm sold for $ 60M by Sotheby's in 1999.
A smaller example is Fruits et pot de gingembre, oil on canvas 33 x 46 cm staging three apples, one pear, one pomegranate and a ginger pot. The position of the isolated golden apple on the white cloth is inviting for an imminent fall. This painting was sold for $ 39M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 41 B.
A similar example is the pear ready to fall in the Nature morte au crâne owned by the Barnes Foundation. The group of fruits on the right side also have an unsafe position.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Paul Cezanne’s ‘Fruits et pot de gingembre’ realizes $38.94M
The danger for a fruit to fall from the table is created by the folds of the crumpled cloth over the edge of the table. A typical example from the end of that period is the Rideau, cruchon et compotier 60 x 73 cm sold for $ 60M by Sotheby's in 1999.
A smaller example is Fruits et pot de gingembre, oil on canvas 33 x 46 cm staging three apples, one pear, one pomegranate and a ginger pot. The position of the isolated golden apple on the white cloth is inviting for an imminent fall. This painting was sold for $ 39M by Christie's on November 9, 2023, lot 41 B.
A similar example is the pear ready to fall in the Nature morte au crâne owned by the Barnes Foundation. The group of fruits on the right side also have an unsafe position.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 10, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Paul Cezanne’s ‘Fruits et pot de gingembre’ realizes $38.94M
- Christie's post announces the $38.94 million sale of Paul Cézanne's 1893-1894 still life "Fruits et pot de gingembre" at its November 9, 2023, New York 20th Century Evening Sale, featuring a vibrant composition of peaches, pears, and a ginger jar on a draped table.
- The painting, from Switzerland's Fondation Langmatt collection, was a key highlight among three Cézanne works, exceeding its low estimate amid strong Impressionist and Modern art market demand.
- Its sale resolved a Nazi-era provenance dispute through a settlement with heirs of banker Jacob Goldschmidt, whose collection was looted in 1938, highlighting ongoing restitution efforts in the art world.
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Paul Cezanne’s ‘Fruits et pot de gingembre’ realizes $38.94M pic.twitter.com/zG4SUgzNqY
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) November 10, 2023
4
1893-1894 Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier
1999 SOLD for $ 60M by Sotheby's
In 1886 Paul Cézanne inherited from his father. He found comfort in Jas de Bouffan, got married, and began the most experimental phase of his art, which would include the geometric deconstruction of the views of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire and of the still lifes. In his tabletops, he gradually breaks the laws of perspective in order to modify the respective volumes of objects.
Cézanne no longer needs his art to earn a living and does not date his works. The chronology of his still lifes can only be based on the evolution of their complexity. His vision weakened by a diabetes identified in 1890 may have prompted him to seek these new solutions.
He tirelessly changes the position of the same objects, with the same varieties of fruit, seeking the extreme limit of balance. It is only by a very careful inspection that the observer discovers that a dish is not placed on the top of the table but bent over a hidden support.
The crumpled white tablecloth becomes an essential element of the composition, bringing the impression of the imminent fall of the objects and fruits that are placed on it. The arrangements are becoming increasingly complex.
In 1893 or 1894, Cézanne painted two similar compositions, with the same jug and stemcup on the same table, and the same curtain.
Rideau, cruchon et compotier dangerously distributes the fruits in the folds of the tablecloth. The cup, with a spectacular stacking of fruit, is here hidden behind a rise in the tablecloth. All this will fall to the ground in a few moments.
This oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm was sold for $ 60M by Sotheby's on May 10, 1999. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
La Corbeille de pommes, oil on canvas 65 x 80 cm kept at the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrates similar conceptions : the lower part of the cup is hidden by some fruit. Here the very tilted position of the basket is partially explained by a thick wedge whose usefulness in real life is questionable.
Executed with the same arrangement, Pichet et fruits sur une table, oil on paper laid down on panel 42 x 72 cm is less dramatic because it does not include the tablecloth. It was sold for £ 11.8M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2010, lot 5.
Grok thought :
Quote
Bill Stratton @bill_stratton Jan 16, 2016
Paul Cézanne; “Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier (Jug, Curtain and Fruit Bowl)” (1893)
Cézanne no longer needs his art to earn a living and does not date his works. The chronology of his still lifes can only be based on the evolution of their complexity. His vision weakened by a diabetes identified in 1890 may have prompted him to seek these new solutions.
He tirelessly changes the position of the same objects, with the same varieties of fruit, seeking the extreme limit of balance. It is only by a very careful inspection that the observer discovers that a dish is not placed on the top of the table but bent over a hidden support.
The crumpled white tablecloth becomes an essential element of the composition, bringing the impression of the imminent fall of the objects and fruits that are placed on it. The arrangements are becoming increasingly complex.
In 1893 or 1894, Cézanne painted two similar compositions, with the same jug and stemcup on the same table, and the same curtain.
Rideau, cruchon et compotier dangerously distributes the fruits in the folds of the tablecloth. The cup, with a spectacular stacking of fruit, is here hidden behind a rise in the tablecloth. All this will fall to the ground in a few moments.
This oil on canvas 60 x 73 cm was sold for $ 60M by Sotheby's on May 10, 1999. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
La Corbeille de pommes, oil on canvas 65 x 80 cm kept at the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrates similar conceptions : the lower part of the cup is hidden by some fruit. Here the very tilted position of the basket is partially explained by a thick wedge whose usefulness in real life is questionable.
Executed with the same arrangement, Pichet et fruits sur une table, oil on paper laid down on panel 42 x 72 cm is less dramatic because it does not include the tablecloth. It was sold for £ 11.8M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2010, lot 5.
Grok thought :
Quote
Bill Stratton @bill_stratton Jan 16, 2016
Paul Cézanne; “Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier (Jug, Curtain and Fruit Bowl)” (1893)
- This 2016 post by art enthusiast @bill_stratton features Paul Cézanne's 1893 still life "Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier," depicting a curtain-draped table with fruits, a jug, and subtle spatial distortions.
- The work showcases Cézanne's mature style, using layered brushstrokes and geometric forms to explore volume and balance, influencing Cubism pioneers like Picasso.
- Auctioned for $60.5 million in 1999, it held the record as the priciest still life painting for over two decades, highlighting Cézanne's enduring market value.
5
1895 Fruits et Pot de Gingembre
2006 SOLD for $ 37M by Sotheby's
Cézanne's still life is a continuous quest for perfection. In the Impressionniste phase, that theme enables him to be compared with old masters like Chardin. Also the temperamental artist finds some quietness in arranging real fruit for painstakingly realizing a painting. It is not by chance that his preferred fruit in art, the apple, remains steady for a very long time before going rotten.
There is no still life by Cézanne for a few years from 1880. He restarts the theme around 1886, when he starts in Gardanne a new life that excites his creativity. This is the trompe-l'oeil phase, with a quest for the unbalance that manages to simulate a motion.
The trompe-l'oeil phase comes to an end in 1895. Afterward the still lifes become rarer for several years, mostly characterized by the addition of skulls. His creativity restarts once again at Les Lauves, when the still life participates to his obsession for the perfect color and luminosity.
Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre is a masterpiece from the end of the trompe-l'oeil phase. Its terminus ante quem is its exhibition by Vollard in 1895, soon after its execution.
An interesting feature of this opus is the deep ultramarine underlining of the elements, reminding the underlining of the horizon of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire. A cut melon brings an unusual and much juicy freshness in its two parts, just open on the left side plus two slices on a plate at the central point of the still life. The symphony of rare colors includes intricate gradations from yellow to red.
This oil on canvas 46 x 61 cm was sold for £ 12M by Christie's on June 28, 2000, lot 10, and for $ 37M by Sotheby's on November 7, 2006, lot 18.
Grok thought :
Quote
Libreria Bourlot @LibreriaBourlot Apr 30, 2019
Paul Cézanne - Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre, 1895 ca. #paulCézane #rte #Oiloncanvas (images Christie's London)
There is no still life by Cézanne for a few years from 1880. He restarts the theme around 1886, when he starts in Gardanne a new life that excites his creativity. This is the trompe-l'oeil phase, with a quest for the unbalance that manages to simulate a motion.
The trompe-l'oeil phase comes to an end in 1895. Afterward the still lifes become rarer for several years, mostly characterized by the addition of skulls. His creativity restarts once again at Les Lauves, when the still life participates to his obsession for the perfect color and luminosity.
Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre is a masterpiece from the end of the trompe-l'oeil phase. Its terminus ante quem is its exhibition by Vollard in 1895, soon after its execution.
An interesting feature of this opus is the deep ultramarine underlining of the elements, reminding the underlining of the horizon of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire. A cut melon brings an unusual and much juicy freshness in its two parts, just open on the left side plus two slices on a plate at the central point of the still life. The symphony of rare colors includes intricate gradations from yellow to red.
This oil on canvas 46 x 61 cm was sold for £ 12M by Christie's on June 28, 2000, lot 10, and for $ 37M by Sotheby's on November 7, 2006, lot 18.
Grok thought :
Quote
Libreria Bourlot @LibreriaBourlot Apr 30, 2019
Paul Cézanne - Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre, 1895 ca. #paulCézane #rte #Oiloncanvas (images Christie's London)
- Posted by Libreria Bourlot, an Italian antique bookstore established in 1848, the 2019 tweet showcases Paul Cézanne's 1895 oil still life "Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre," featuring fruits, a ginger jar, and draped cloth on a table, using images credited to Christie's London.
- This composition exemplifies Cézanne's innovative approach to still life, blending geometric forms and vibrant colors to challenge perspective and influence Cubism, as seen in his deliberate brushwork and spatial distortions that prioritize sensation over realism.
- The painting fetched £12.1 million at Christie's in 2000 and $37 million at Sotheby's in 2006, highlighting its status as a rare, privately held masterpiece from Cézanne's mature period, with provenance tracing back to dealer Ambroise Vollard.
Paul Cézanne - Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre, 1895 ca. #paulCézane #rte #Oiloncanvas
— Libreria Bourlot (@LibreriaBourlot) April 30, 2019
(images Christie's London) pic.twitter.com/fynxYnxjTK
June 1890 Wild Flowers for Dr Gachet by van Gogh
2014 SOLD for $ 62M by Sotheby's
After he entered the asylum at Saint-Rémy de Provence in May 1889, the health of Vincent van Gogh did not improve. But they had to look for a solution. Auvers-sur-Oise is a pretty village frequented by artists. His visit is prepared by his brother Theo in consultation with Dr. Gachet.
In May 1890 Vincent moved into a room at the local inn in Auvers. He did not have a studio and regularly attended the home of Gachet, a friend of the Impressionists and Cézanne.
Since he is sick, Vincent is terrorized by the idea of failure and by the risk of a new crisis of dementia. With the energy of despair, he gives a new impetus to his old ambition to become the best painter of all time, the only one capable of a synthesis of all genres. Gachet has a painting by Cézanne showing a bouquet of flowers. Vincent wants to do better.
Spring brings forth the flowers into the fields. On November 4, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 62M from a lower estimate of $ 30M an oil on canvas 66 x 50 cm painted by Vincent on 16 and 17 June 1890, lot 17. Executed in the clear intention to thank Gachet for his help, this artwork shows a vase filled with daisies and poppies.
The composition is powerful and the colors are gorgeous, dominated in the center by the fiery red poppies. The groups of flowers shine like some characters within the ultimate tragedy of Vincent.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Grok response to ArtHitParade tweet :
In May 1890 Vincent moved into a room at the local inn in Auvers. He did not have a studio and regularly attended the home of Gachet, a friend of the Impressionists and Cézanne.
Since he is sick, Vincent is terrorized by the idea of failure and by the risk of a new crisis of dementia. With the energy of despair, he gives a new impetus to his old ambition to become the best painter of all time, the only one capable of a synthesis of all genres. Gachet has a painting by Cézanne showing a bouquet of flowers. Vincent wants to do better.
Spring brings forth the flowers into the fields. On November 4, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 62M from a lower estimate of $ 30M an oil on canvas 66 x 50 cm painted by Vincent on 16 and 17 June 1890, lot 17. Executed in the clear intention to thank Gachet for his help, this artwork shows a vase filled with daisies and poppies.
The composition is powerful and the colors are gorgeous, dominated in the center by the fiery red poppies. The groups of flowers shine like some characters within the ultimate tragedy of Vincent.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Grok response to ArtHitParade tweet :
- The 1890 Vincent van Gogh painting of flowers sold for $62 million at Sotheby's, reflecting a surge in value for his late works, which were created during his final months in Auvers-sur-Oise, a period marked by intense creativity and mental health struggles, as documented in his letters to Theo.
- This sale predates the 2025 art market trend of increased online investment, suggesting the auction's success relied on traditional methods, yet it aligns with historical data showing Van Gogh's works appreciating over 1,000% since the 1980s, per Sotheby's auction records.
- Van Gogh's death in July 1890, shortly after completing this piece, adds historical weight, with studies like those in the 2011 Journal of Traumatic Stress linking his productivity to his untreated bipolar disorder, challenging the romanticized "tortured artist" narrative.
1911 Les Coucous, tapis bleu et rose by Matisse
2009 SOLD for € 36M by Christie's
Born in northern France, Henri Matisse very early visited the local weaving workshops. Throughout his life, he will be a creator of forms on the most varied supports, overlapping figuration and abstraction.
Fauvism is a short but decisive phase during which he experiences the power of pure colors. Seeking exotic solutions, he travels to Algeria in 1906 and spends two months in Spain in 1910 studying Moorish art. At that time, collectors ahead of their time like Shchukin no longer support the traditional separation between art and decoration.
In 1910 in Madrid, Matisse bought in an antique shop a two-tone rug in fairly poor condition, whose arabesques were naturalistic without being identifiable. He was seduced by the expressive force of this anonymous textile, close by chance to the new style that he had developed for La Danse in 1909.
By varying the colors, he uses his rug as a decorative element in several paintings. In L'Atelier rose, oil on canvas 180 x 221 cm painted for Shchukin in 1911, it is spread over the large screen.
Les coucous - tapis bleu et rose, oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm painted in spring 1911, appears as a preparatory work for L'Atelier rose. On the table, the vase of primroses (coucous) is the pretext for this image, but the rug used as a tablecloth is indeed the main theme by its invitation to abstraction. The turquoise wall at the back is enhanced with pink reflections.
Yves Saint-Laurent saw in the image of this fabric a precursor to his own work. This painting which offers a link between two great designers went to be the most expensive lot of the sale of his collection by Christie's on February 23, 2009 : it was sold for € 36M from a lower estimate of € 12M, lot 55. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
DailyArt @DailyArtApp May 6, 2021
Henri Matisse (1869-1954), ‘Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose’, 1911 Christie’s
Fauvism is a short but decisive phase during which he experiences the power of pure colors. Seeking exotic solutions, he travels to Algeria in 1906 and spends two months in Spain in 1910 studying Moorish art. At that time, collectors ahead of their time like Shchukin no longer support the traditional separation between art and decoration.
In 1910 in Madrid, Matisse bought in an antique shop a two-tone rug in fairly poor condition, whose arabesques were naturalistic without being identifiable. He was seduced by the expressive force of this anonymous textile, close by chance to the new style that he had developed for La Danse in 1909.
By varying the colors, he uses his rug as a decorative element in several paintings. In L'Atelier rose, oil on canvas 180 x 221 cm painted for Shchukin in 1911, it is spread over the large screen.
Les coucous - tapis bleu et rose, oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm painted in spring 1911, appears as a preparatory work for L'Atelier rose. On the table, the vase of primroses (coucous) is the pretext for this image, but the rug used as a tablecloth is indeed the main theme by its invitation to abstraction. The turquoise wall at the back is enhanced with pink reflections.
Yves Saint-Laurent saw in the image of this fabric a precursor to his own work. This painting which offers a link between two great designers went to be the most expensive lot of the sale of his collection by Christie's on February 23, 2009 : it was sold for € 36M from a lower estimate of € 12M, lot 55. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
DailyArt @DailyArtApp May 6, 2021
Henri Matisse (1869-1954), ‘Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose’, 1911 Christie’s
- This 2021 post from DailyArtApp highlights Henri Matisse's 1911 oil painting "Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose," a Fauvist still life featuring vibrant yellow flowers in a blue vase against patterned textiles, exemplifying his bold color experimentation.
- Created during Matisse's Nice period, the work draws from floral and fabric motifs, was acquired directly from the artist by Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, and later sold for $46 million at Christie's in 2009, underscoring its significance in modern art markets.
- Exhibited in landmark shows like London's 1912 Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition, the painting reflects Matisse's influence on 20th-century design, with peer-reviewed analyses noting its role in bridging Fauvism and decorative arts.
Compare Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose (1911), sold by Christie's on February 23, 2009, lot 55, to The Red Studio.
Henri Matisse's Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose (1911, oil on canvas, 81 x 65.5 cm; also translated as Cowslips, Blue and Pink Carpet) and The Red Studio (1911, oil on canvas, 181 x 219 cm, MoMA, New York) are contemporaneous masterpieces from the same pivotal year, both exploring color, pattern, and flattened space in Matisse's post-Fauvist evolution. Les coucous—from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, sold at Christie's Paris on February 23, 2009 (lot 55) for a record €36 million—was a still life inspired by textiles and flowers, while The Red Studio (originally The Pink Studio or L'Atelier Rose) depicts the artist's workspace in Issy-les-Moulineaux.
Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose features a vibrant still life with yellow cowslip flowers in a vase on a patterned blue-and-pink textile, against a turquoise wall with subtle pink undertones and decorative elements like stripes and a small framed landscape.
The Red Studio immerses the viewer in a sea of Venetian red, with outlined furniture, sculptures, and Matisse's own artworks floating in the space.
Similarities
Henri Matisse's Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose (1911, oil on canvas, 81 x 65.5 cm; also translated as Cowslips, Blue and Pink Carpet) and The Red Studio (1911, oil on canvas, 181 x 219 cm, MoMA, New York) are contemporaneous masterpieces from the same pivotal year, both exploring color, pattern, and flattened space in Matisse's post-Fauvist evolution. Les coucous—from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, sold at Christie's Paris on February 23, 2009 (lot 55) for a record €36 million—was a still life inspired by textiles and flowers, while The Red Studio (originally The Pink Studio or L'Atelier Rose) depicts the artist's workspace in Issy-les-Moulineaux.
Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose features a vibrant still life with yellow cowslip flowers in a vase on a patterned blue-and-pink textile, against a turquoise wall with subtle pink undertones and decorative elements like stripes and a small framed landscape.
The Red Studio immerses the viewer in a sea of Venetian red, with outlined furniture, sculptures, and Matisse's own artworks floating in the space.
Similarities
- Year and Context: Both painted in spring/fall 1911, during Matisse's intense experimentation with pure color and textiles (influenced by his "library" of fabrics). They reflect his shift toward decorative harmony and emotional expression over realism.
- Flattened Perspective and Pattern: Space is compressed; boundaries blur via bold, hard-edged color planes and arabesques. Patterns (floral/textile motifs) unify the surface, creating rhythm and balance.
- Color Liberation: Color is autonomous—expressive rather than descriptive. Matisse reportedly reversed pink and turquoise schemes in Les coucous for vibrancy, echoing his bold overpainting in studio works.
- Connection to Larger Works: Les coucous is explicitly described as a "companion" or "blueprint" to The Pink Studio (the initial version of The Red Studio), clarifying chaotic creative processes through lucid, balanced composition. Both tie into commissions for Sergei Shchukin and Matisse's interest in symphonic decorative panels.
- Subject and Composition:
- Les coucous: Intimate still life—yellow cowslips (coucous) in a vase atop a richly patterned blue-pink carpet/textile, set against a turquoise-pink wall. It's serene, decorative, and object-focused, evoking luxury and equilibrium.
- The Red Studio: Meta-interior of the artist's studio, filled with his own paintings, sculptures, furniture, and objects (e.g., open crayon box). No central still life; it's self-referential, depicting the act of creation.
- Color Dominance and Radicality:
- Les coucous: Harmonious interplay of turquoise, pink, blue, and yellow accents—balanced and lucid, with contrasting patterns for dynamic yet soothing effect.
- The Red Studio: Radical monochrome—nearly everything flooded in intense Venetian red, dissolving depth into a flat, immersive "void." Outlines (in yellow/green) define forms against the red, asserting pure abstraction and color's emotional power.
- Scale and Ambition:
- Les coucous: Smaller, more contained; a refined experiment in textile-inspired still life.
- The Red Studio: Monumental; a breakthrough in modernism, anticipating abstraction (influencing Abstract Expressionists like Mark Rothko). Matisse himself noted its "abstraction" despite representational elements.
1915 Nature Morte à la Nappe à Carreaux by Gris
2014 SOLD for £ 35M by Christie's
The Cubism of Juan Gris experienced a rapid and powerful development. At first, the analysis of forms is deconstructing the figurative subject. The loss of the third dimension leads to collages.
In 1915, the art of Gris suddenly separates from Picasso and Braque. Gris gathers the objects of his everyday life. Arranged on the table, they make up his universe. Outside, in Paris, it is war. His objects are playing to constitute a new theater, like Cézanne's apples or Arcimboldo's vegetables.
In this sense, Gris is a precursor of surrealism. Painted in March 1915, Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux is a complex and colored composition, where the arrangement in a triangle forms a mask over the comforting support of the tabletop.
Times are hard for Juan Gris in the wartime Paris of 1915. His German dealer Kahnweiler had to flee to Bern and cannot support him directly. Being in civilian attire while the young men are serving on the front, he is booed by the Parisians when walking by the streets. His output is prolific, for earning his life.
The Galerie L'Effort Moderne of Léonce Rosenberg took over Kahnweiler for Gris in early 1915. Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux was acquired by Rosenberg.
This oil on canvas 116 x 90 cm, was sold for £ 35M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Christie's on February 4, 2014, lot 9. Please watch the video shared by Christie's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
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Fadhlaoui @Fadhlaoui2 Feb 19
Bonjour.#NatureMorte #thème #Juan_Gris,_1915,_Nature_morte_à_la_nappe_à_carreaux_(Still_Life_with_Checked_Tablecloth),_oil_on_canvas,_116.5_x_89.3_cm
In 1915, the art of Gris suddenly separates from Picasso and Braque. Gris gathers the objects of his everyday life. Arranged on the table, they make up his universe. Outside, in Paris, it is war. His objects are playing to constitute a new theater, like Cézanne's apples or Arcimboldo's vegetables.
In this sense, Gris is a precursor of surrealism. Painted in March 1915, Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux is a complex and colored composition, where the arrangement in a triangle forms a mask over the comforting support of the tabletop.
Times are hard for Juan Gris in the wartime Paris of 1915. His German dealer Kahnweiler had to flee to Bern and cannot support him directly. Being in civilian attire while the young men are serving on the front, he is booed by the Parisians when walking by the streets. His output is prolific, for earning his life.
The Galerie L'Effort Moderne of Léonce Rosenberg took over Kahnweiler for Gris in early 1915. Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux was acquired by Rosenberg.
This oil on canvas 116 x 90 cm, was sold for £ 35M from a lower estimate of £ 12M by Christie's on February 4, 2014, lot 9. Please watch the video shared by Christie's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Fadhlaoui @Fadhlaoui2 Feb 19
Bonjour.#NatureMorte #thème #Juan_Gris,_1915,_Nature_morte_à_la_nappe_à_carreaux_(Still_Life_with_Checked_Tablecloth),_oil_on_canvas,_116.5_x_89.3_cm
- This X post launches a thread exploring still life (#NatureMorte) artworks, beginning with Juan Gris's 1915 synthetic cubist painting "Still Life with Checked Tablecloth," housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and notable for its direct application of oil and graphite without a ground layer, blending geometric abstraction with everyday objects like grapes and a newspaper.
- The thread progresses through contrasting styles: Bernard Buffet's stark post-war expressionism, Henri Matisse's 1909 blue-toned Fauvist harmony, Jean-Siméon Chardin's 18th-century Rococo strawberry basket emphasizing light and texture, and Roy Lichtenstein's 1974 pop art lobster reinterpreting cubism via comic-book aesthetics.
- Posted by @Fadhlaoui2, a French art education account (Arts Plastiques), the series serves as a visual timeline of the still life genre's evolution, from classical realism to modernism, with minimal engagement indicating targeted sharing among art history enthusiasts rather than broad viral appeal.
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PICASSO
1
1919 Guitare sur une Table
2022 SOLD for $ 37M by Sotheby's
Guitar on a tabletop was a preferred theme of the Cubist pioneers, Gris, Picasso and Braque. In 1919 war is over and the synthetic phase of Cubism is giving way to the Neoclassicism.
Under the influence of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, Picasso continues in both styles with dynamic pure colors, as demonstrated by a pair of portraits of Olga started simultaneously ca 1917 of which the Cubist version was sold for $ 30.5M by Christie's on May 15, 2017, lot 7 A.
Guitare sur une table painted by Picasso in 1919 in Paris is a mixed style in which the mandolin shaped instrument is displayed beside a sheet of staves in a flattened trompe l'oeil that includes a joyful blue sky through a window.
This oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm was sold for $ 37M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 108, for the benefit of the MoMA and of charities.
Grok thought :
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Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 15, 2022
#AuctionUpdate: In its auction debut, Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guitare sur une table’ achieves a staggering $37.1 million tonight. This rare Cubist painting has been in the private collection of William S. Paley since 1946. #SothebysModern
Under the influence of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, Picasso continues in both styles with dynamic pure colors, as demonstrated by a pair of portraits of Olga started simultaneously ca 1917 of which the Cubist version was sold for $ 30.5M by Christie's on May 15, 2017, lot 7 A.
Guitare sur une table painted by Picasso in 1919 in Paris is a mixed style in which the mandolin shaped instrument is displayed beside a sheet of staves in a flattened trompe l'oeil that includes a joyful blue sky through a window.
This oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm was sold for $ 37M by Sotheby's on November 14, 2022, lot 108, for the benefit of the MoMA and of charities.
Grok thought :
Quote
Sotheby's @Sothebys Nov 15, 2022
#AuctionUpdate: In its auction debut, Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guitare sur une table’ achieves a staggering $37.1 million tonight. This rare Cubist painting has been in the private collection of William S. Paley since 1946. #SothebysModern
- Picasso's 1919 Synthetic Cubist painting 'Guitare sur une table' fetched $37.1 million at Sotheby's Modern Evening Auction on November 14, 2022, surpassing its $20-30 million estimate in its auction debut after 76 years in William S. Paley's collection.
- The work, on long-term loan to the Museum of Modern Art for three decades, exemplifies Picasso's bold use of vivid colors and geometric fragmentation to depict everyday objects, bridging Analytic and Synthetic Cubism phases.
- This sale underscored the enduring market strength for Picasso's Cubist output, contributing to Sotheby's $473 million total for the evening and ranking among the top modern art transactions of 2022.
2
1932 Nature Morte à la Fenêtre
2023 SOLD for $ 42M by Christie's
In 1931 at Boisgeloup Picasso was busy as a sculptor, expressing the face shape of his secret muse Marie-Thérèse. Olga, who spent the week-ends with Pablo at Boisgeloup, apparently did not suspect at that time that Boisgeloup housed a rival during the week.
Paintings follow. In a first phase the woman is expressed by the profile of her white sculpture on a plinth. In La Lampe, completed in June 1931, the bust is positioned behind the door of the studio. The profile is still much stylized without detail in the hair.
La Lampe was certainly made in view of the groundbreaking retrospective that will open in June 1932 at Galerie Georges Petit, where it was included. If this is the case, the artist had already conceived at that early stage the evolution of a series into the representation of his muse as a human being and then as an erotic nude with the evidence that Olga will be shocked. La Lampe was sold for $ 29.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 22A.
His paintings of December 1931 dared to introduce recognizable features including the blonde hair and the rounded rosy cheeks.
Painted on January 18, 1932, Nature morte à la fenêtre again belongs to the intermediate phase. It features the white oversized bust in full profile with a well defined hair beside a tabletop with leaves of philodendron in a vase and a plate of fruit. The philodendron is a symbol of vitality. The window behind is certainly that of the sculpture studio.
This oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm was one of the 18 works of 1932 exhibited at Georges Petit. It was sold for $ 42M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 42A.
Grok thought :
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Christie's @ChristiesInc May 12, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Pablo Picasso’s 'Nature morte à la fenêtre' realizes $41,810,000
Paintings follow. In a first phase the woman is expressed by the profile of her white sculpture on a plinth. In La Lampe, completed in June 1931, the bust is positioned behind the door of the studio. The profile is still much stylized without detail in the hair.
La Lampe was certainly made in view of the groundbreaking retrospective that will open in June 1932 at Galerie Georges Petit, where it was included. If this is the case, the artist had already conceived at that early stage the evolution of a series into the representation of his muse as a human being and then as an erotic nude with the evidence that Olga will be shocked. La Lampe was sold for $ 29.6M by Christie's on November 11, 2018, lot 22A.
His paintings of December 1931 dared to introduce recognizable features including the blonde hair and the rounded rosy cheeks.
Painted on January 18, 1932, Nature morte à la fenêtre again belongs to the intermediate phase. It features the white oversized bust in full profile with a well defined hair beside a tabletop with leaves of philodendron in a vase and a plate of fruit. The philodendron is a symbol of vitality. The window behind is certainly that of the sculpture studio.
This oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm was one of the 18 works of 1932 exhibited at Georges Petit. It was sold for $ 42M by Christie's on May 11, 2023, lot 42A.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc May 12, 2023
#AuctionUpdate: From our 20th Century Evening Sale, Pablo Picasso’s 'Nature morte à la fenêtre' realizes $41,810,000
- This post announces the $41.8 million sale of Pablo Picasso's 1932 oil painting Nature morte à la fenêtre at Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale, exceeding its $40 million estimate and marking it as the auction's top lot amid a surge in modernist art demand.
- The work, painted during Picasso's obsessive neoclassical phase inspired by his muse Marie-Thérèse Walter—depicted as a white bust—blends still life elements like green philodendrons and peaches with a window view, symbolizing intimacy and voyeurism in his personal life.
- The painting's high price reflects its rarity on the market, last exhibited publicly in 1970, and underscores how biographical narratives drive value in Picasso's prolific output of over 45,000 works.
