FR EN
1 / 7
drawing of a painting of a landscape with a boat in the foregroundan image of a drawing of a house and trees in a fieldan image of a painting of a landscape with trees in the foregroundan image of a painting of a man in a suit and tiean old photo of a sheet of paper and a roll of paperan image of a piece of paper taped to a piece of papera sculpture of a man standing in front of a white wall
Premium Artcurial

Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Sale commission
Description
Henry MORET Houses near the poplars – circa 1896 Watercolour and charcoal on paper Studio stamp in the bottom right-hand corner: ‘ATELIER/H.MORET’ (Lugt L.5251) 31 x 24.2 cm Provenance: The artist’s studio Achille Chatenet Collection, his son-in-law Samuel Josefowitz Collection (1921–2015), Lausanne Auction, Paris, Christie’s, 23 May 2007, lot 79 Auction, Versailles, Maître Pillon, 1 July 2007, lot 59 Private collection, Paris Galerie Didier Aaron & Cie, Paris Acquired from the gallery by the current owner on 16 October 2023 Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: Pont-Aven, Musée de Pont-Aven, Henry Moret, watercolours and paintings 1856–1913, June–September 1988, no. 91, reproduced in colour on p. 79 Indianapolis, Museum of Art; Baltimore, The Walters Art Gallery; Montreal, Museum of Fine Arts; Memphis, The Dixon Gallery and Gardens; San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, ‘Gauguin and the School of Pont-Aven’, September 1994 – September 1996, no. 91, reproduced in colour on p. 123 Künzelsau, Museum Würth, ‘Gauguin and the School of Pont-Aven’, March–June 1997, no. 91, reproduced on p. 237 Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, ‘Gauguin and the School of Pont-Aven’, August–November 1998, no. 99, reproduced on p. 158 Watercolour and charcoal on paper; studio stamp lower right; 12 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. It was thanks to the sale of Henry Moret’s studio collection that the artist’s creative process could be documented. The valuable account by his friend, the writer Henry Eon, suggested the existence of preparatory watercolours, which had remained unknown until then: ‘He worked constantly outdoors, amassing sketches and studies’. These works on paper, which the artist did not intend to sell, were kept in his studio at the time. The collection, comprising around eight hundred drawings, watercolours and pastels, was sold by the artist’s son-in-law, Achille Chatenet, in 1972. Part of the collection was subsequently sold at the Hôtel Drouot on 21 October 1983, with 548 works put up for auction. These studies, some of which were exhibited in Pont-Aven in 1988 – notably the drawing that concerns us here – shed essential light on Moret’s working method: they reveal how he progressed from a watercolour painted from life to an oil composition on canvas. In this watercolour, Moret captures a Breton landscape on the spot, with houses silhouetted against a backdrop of poplars. The spontaneity and freedom afforded by watercolour enable him to create a vibrant composition, with clean lines and luminous colours, which evoke emotion and poetic reverie. Dated around 1896, this watercolour perfectly captures the stylistic fusion taking place in Moret’s work at the time, between the Impressionist brushwork of the grass in the foreground and a simplification of forms and a bolder colour scheme, reminiscent of Synthetism. Henry MORET 31 x 24.2 cm It was ultimately the sale of the remaining works from Henry Moret’s studio that enabled his creative process to be documented. The invaluable account of his friend, the writer Henry Eon, suggested the existence of preparatory watercolours, which had hitherto remained unknown: “He worked constantly outdoors, accumulating sketches and studies”. These works on paper, never intended for the market, were all kept in the artist’s studio. This collection, belonging to the artist’s stepson, Achille Chatenet, comprising roughly eight hundred drawings, watercolours and pastels, formed part of an initial sale in 1972. A number of them were sold at the Hôtel Drouot on 21 October 1983, with five hundred and forty-eight works featured in that auction. These studies, some of which were exhibited in Pont-Aven in 1988 – including the present drawing – shed essential light on Moret’s working method: they show how he would progress from a watercolour painted from life to a composition in oil on canvas. In this watercolour, Moret captures a Breton landscape before him, where houses emerge from the heart of a scene enlivened by poplar trees. The spontaneity and freedom of watercolour as a medium were instrumental in the creation of this vibrant composition, with its simplified lines and luminous colours, which evoke emotion and poetic reverie. Dated circa 1896, this watercolour perfectly captures Moret’s stylistic fusion, which lies between the Impressionist touch evident in the grass in the foreground and a simplification of forms, combined with a bolder colour scheme reminiscent of Synthetism.
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