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a drawing of a man sitting on a bench in front of a wallan image of a painting on a easel with a piece of paper next to it
AGUTTES

25 - LOUIS BILLOTEY (1883–1940)
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Estimate €200 - €300
Sale commission
Description
LOUIS BILLOTEY (1883–1940) Salome’s Dance, sketch for *La Tragédie* (Paris, Palais de Chaillot) Graphite on oiled paper, squared Signature stamp [not Lugt] at the bottom right Annotated ‘squares measuring 0m50 on each side/Total length at f = 2m50’ top left (Creases, tears, losses in the margins and repairs with adhesive tape) 49 x 78 cm - 19 1/4 x 30 3/4 in. Graphite on oiled squared paper, stamped with the signature’s mark in the lower right-hand corner, inscribed ‘squares measuring 0.50 m per side / Total length at f = 2.50 m’ in the upper left-hand corner Provenance - Auction, Old Drawings & Paintings, 20th-Century Art, Art Valorem, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 4 April 2016, lot 173 (titled ‘Salomé and Herod’ and photographed before the signature stamp was applied) - Patrick Picard Collection, France (acquired at the previous sale) Description A figurative and modern painter, Louis Billotey (1883–1940) is best known for creating the large fresco situated on the mezzanine level of the grand staircase leading to the Théâtre de Chaillot, in the Paris wing. Painted directly onto the concrete, *La Tragédie* is a monumental composition measuring 9 x 4.5 m, which took the artist nearly two years to complete. In developing the composition, Billotey drew on his profound knowledge of classical culture as well as his interest in contemporary theatre. Commissioned by the Popular Front, the work draws inspiration from the characters in Jean Giraudoux’s play *The Trojan War Will Not Take Place*, as well as from the life of Phaedra and the myths of Oedipus and Salome. With this painting, Louis Billotey was awarded the Grand Prix of the International Exhibition two years before his death.
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About the sale Impressionist & Modern Art – The Patrick Picard Collection and various private collectors
Auction location
Auction time 10/01/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits:
©Aguttes
See original version (French)
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