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painting of a man and a woman in a room with a painting of a ballerinapainting of a woman in a white dress standing next to a man in a tuxedoan image of a painting of a woman in a white dressan old wooden frame with a red and white pattern on ita sculpture of a man standing in front of a white wall
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58 - Jean-Louis FORAIN (1852–1931)
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Estimate €25,000 - €35,000
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Description
Jean-Louis FORAIN (1852–1931) A Visit to the Dancer’s Dressing Room – circa 1880 Watercolour and gouache over pen and brown ink on paper Signed lower right ‘j.l.forain’ 26 x 29.5 cm Provenance: Auction, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Maître Lair-Dubreuil, V. Collection, 27 May 1926, lot 110 Private collection, Paris Ivo Bouwman Gallery, Netherlands, 1998 Jean-François Heim Gallery, Basel Gérard Valkier Collection, Netherlands Acquired from the latter by the current owner in December 2016, according to the current owner Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection Exhibitions: The Hague, Ivo Bouwman Gallery, Najaastentoonstelling, 1998, illustrated Bibliography: We would like to thank Ms Florence Valdès-Forain for kindly confirming that the work will be included in the catalogue raisonné of Jean-Louis Forain’s work, currently in preparation. Watercolour and gouache over pen and brown ink on paper, signed lower right; 10 1/4 x 11 5/8 in. ‘Mr Forain is one of the most incisive painters of modern life that I know’¹: this is how Karl Huysmans describes Jean-Louis Forain’s art. Forain’s interest in nightlife led him to repeatedly explore the world of theatre and dance, offering a subversive interpretation of these worlds. Forain favours the moments in between – intermissions, backstage areas, dressing rooms – which allow him to reveal what goes on behind the scenes. Introduced to the Opera by Edgar Degas, who was eighteen years his senior, Forain developed a predilection for the spaces offstage, where a different kind of performance takes place. In his compositions, the dancers frequently appear surrounded by ‘patronage’, male figures from high society who seek to seduce the young performers whilst offering them material support. Through these interactions, the artist highlights social relationships and power dynamics, making these scenes a true mirror of Parisian society. This watercolour, signed ‘J. L. Forain’ and dated around 1880, addresses precisely this theme. The work depicts a dancer facing the viewer and turning a smiling face towards the dapper gentleman seated beside her in the box. An elderly lady is fastening (or unfastening) a part of the costume at the waist, thus keeping the young woman in a frozen pose as she faces the silent attention of her audience. Forain’s works, which form part of a social commentary on the plight of dancers, were admired by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who declared in 1891: ‘I belong to no school. I work on my own. I admire Degas and Forain’2.   1. Jean-Louis Forain 1852–1931, ‘La Comédie Parisienne’, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Petit Palais, 10 March–5 June 2011, p. 32, note 2. 2. Quoted in op. cit., exhibition catalogue, 2011, p. 64. A certificate of provenance for Madame Florence Valdès-Forain may be issued on request and at the purchaser’s expense. Jean-Louis FORAIN (1852–1931) 26 x 29.5 cm “Mr Forain is one of the most incisive painters of modern life I know” (¹): this is how Karl Huysmans described Jean-Louis Forain. Forain’s interest in city nightlife led him to repeatedly explore the world of theatre and dance, bringing his own subversive interpretation to it. Forain favoured the moments in between – the interval, backstage, the dressing room – which allowed him to draw back the curtain on the hidden reality of this world. First introduced to the Paris Opera by Edgar Degas, who was eighteen years his senior, Forain developed a taste for the spaces away from the stage where a different kind of spectacle was unfolding. In his works, dancers are often depicted surrounded by men from high society seeking to seduce the young female performers whilst offering them financial support. Through these encounters, the artist highlighted social relationships and power dynamics, making these scenes a true reflection of Parisian society at the time. This watercolour, signed J. L. Forain and dating from around 1880, depicts precisely this subject. In this work, a dancer facing the viewer turns her smiling face towards the smartly dressed man standing next to her in her dressing room. An older woman is fastening (or unfastening) part of her costume at the waist, thereby keeping the young woman in a static pose as she responds to her suitor’s silent request. Forain’s works, which form part of a social commentary on the plight of dancers, were admired by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who declared in 1891: “I belong to no school. I work on my own. I admire Degas and Forain” (2).   1. Jean-Louis Forain 1852–1931, ‘La Comédie Parisienne’, exhibition catalogue, Paris, Petit Palais, 10 March–5 June 2011, p. 32, note 2. 2. Quoted in op. cit., exhibition catalogue, 2011, p. 64.
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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
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