1 / 6
a painting on the wall of a room with a chair and a tablea painting on the wall of a building that has a painting on ita painting of a man and a woman in a tuxedoa painting on the wall of a building that has a picture of a man and a woman on ita painting of a rooster and other animals in a barna painting on the wall of a building that has a painting of a man and a woman
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium Maître Sophie RENARD

239 - The Painters of Montparnasse, Oil on canvas 127 x 248 cm Par…
See original version (French)

Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Sale commission
Description
The Painters of Montparnasse, Oil on canvas 127 x 248 cm Part of a series adorning the walls of the Cabaret Le Jockey in Montparnasse A famous cabaret of the Parisian bohemian scene during the Roaring Twenties, located at 146 Boulevard du Montparnasse, on the corner of Rue Campagne-Première, Le Jockey Club was founded in 1923 by a small colony of expatriate American artists. The idea was to have a club of their own, inspired by American bars and clubs, in the heart of the ‘Montparnasse village’. Initially decorated in a ‘Western’ style with silhouettes of cowboys, Native Americans and motifs from the Wild West painted by the American artist Hilaire Hiler, the atmosphere was deliberately laid-back, with paper tablecloths, a mismatched collection of furniture, posters stuck crookedly on the walls, jazz playing round the clock, and a clientele comprising famous artists, students, models, writers and adventurers. It quickly became one of the hubs of Montparnasse’s nightlife, frequented by artists, writers and American expatriates; one could rub shoulders there with the geniuses of the 20th century, including regulars such as Ernest Hemingway, Jean Cocteau, Ezra Pound, Louis Aragon, Tsuguharu Foujita, Tristan Tzara, Moïse Kisling and, above all, the famous Kiki de Montparnasse There, she sang risqué songs, danced the French cancan, improvised acts and brought the cabaret nights to life. At that time, she lived just next door with Man Ray, on Rue Campagne-Première. Many consider that it was at the Jockey that she truly became the ‘Queen of Montparnasse’. On any given evening, one might encounter a famous painter, a penniless poet, an English aristocrat and an American jazz musician all in the same place. Unlike Le Dôme or La Coupole, which were cafés or brasseries, the Jockey was a veritable laboratory of modern nightlife: jazz, dancing, liberal mores, and a mix of nationalities and social classes. Many historians consider it to have embodied the freest spirit of Montparnasse in the 1920s.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale BEAUTIFUL SUMMER SALE
Auction location
Auction time 06/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures modified on 06/22/2026 at 4:04 PM
Lot description modified on 06/22/2026 at 4:22 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like