FR EN
1 / 6
an image of a painting of a woman in a white dressan image of a painting of a woman standing in front of a mirroran image of a painting of a woman in a white dress and a man in a black suita close up of a piece of cardboard on a white backgroundan image of a picture of an envelope hanging on a walla sculpture of a man standing in a room with a painting on the wall
Premium Artcurial

Estimate €40,000 - €60,000
Sale commission
Description
Maurice DENIS The Breton Visitation – 1897 Oil on cardboard Signed with the monogram ‘M/A/V/D’ in the lower right-hand corner 22 x 29.3 cm Provenance: The artist’s studio, then by inheritance Collection of Antoine Poncet (1928–2022), sculptor and grandson of the artist, and Florence Poncet, Lausanne Auction, Basel, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Antoine and Florence Poncet Collection, 21 June 2023, lot 3 Acquired at this auction by the current owner Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: Paris, Galerie Beaux-Arts, Maurice Denis, April–May 1963, no. 40 Albi, Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, Maurice Denis, September–November 1963, no. 65, p. 31 Thonon-les-Bains, Maison des Arts et Loisirs, Maurice Denis, Geneva and the Chablais, January–March 1971, no. 28 Bibliography: This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné of the works of Maurice Denis currently being prepared by Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl, under catalogue number 897.0202. A certificate of digital inclusion from Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl will be provided to the purchaser. Oil on cardboard; signed with the monogram lower right; 8 5/8 x 11 1/2 in. In this sketch for *La Visitation bretonne*, painted in 1897, Maurice Denis gives concrete form to his reflections on Synthetism. The Nabis theorist focuses on the essence of the narrative, within a tight frame, seeking the extreme simplification of forms, which he renders in large blocks of colour. Unlike the final work, the colour palette is limited, the interplay of light and shadow is absent, and the details – faces, objects, landscape, cat – are not yet fully developed. This work is the legacy of the lessons Gauguin imparted to Sérusier; it is a true Nabi work that prioritises the simplification of forms, the absence of perspective and the expressiveness of colour in the service of emotion. Although the painting is composed mainly of cool colours, it is particularly luminous thanks to the predominance of white and scattered touches of yellow. It is indeed ‘through the limitation of means that the artist can best demonstrate his strength¹’, as Gauguin explained with regard to Denis, who, through this economy of means, sought ‘greatness through conciseness²’ 1. Quoted by Jean Verkade, *Le Tourment de Dieu: Étapes d’un moine peintre*, trans. Marguerite Faure, Paris, Louis Rouart & Jacques Watelin, 1926, p. 77. 2. Maurice Denis, *Le Ciel et l’Arcadie: écrits et propos sur l’art*, texts compiled, presented and annotated by Jean-Paul Bouillon, Paris, Éditions Hermann, 2014, p. 102. Maurice DENIS 22 x 29.3 cm In this sketch for *La Visitation Bretonne*, painted in 1897, Maurice Denis brings to life his reflections on Synthetism. The Nabis’ theorist focuses on the essentials of the narrative, which he places within a tight frame, seeking to simplify forms to the extreme and rendering them in broad swathes of colour. Unlike the final work, here the colour palette is limited, the interplay of light and shadow is absent, and the details – faces, objects, landscape, cat – have not yet been fully developed. This work draws on the lessons Gauguin imparted to Sérusier; it is a true Nabi work that emphasises the simplification of forms, the absence of perspective, and the expressiveness of colour in the service of emotion. Although the painting is composed mainly of cool colours, it is particularly luminous thanks to the predominance of white and scattered touches of yellow. Indeed, ‘it is in the limitation of means that the artist can best demonstrate his strength¹’, as Gauguin explained with regard to Denis, who sought, through this economy of means, ‘greatness through precision²’.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale The Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 4:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like