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a black and white photo of an old building in the woodsan image of a black and white drawing of a tombstonea black and white photo of a tree in the woodsa black and white photo of a picture of a treean image of a drawing of a stream running through a fieldan image of a black and white drawing of a tree on a hilla drawing of a black and white picture on a piece of paperdrawing of a river with trees in the foreground and a building in the backgroundan image of a black and white drawing of a person in a fieldan image of a drawing of a tree in the middle of a fielddrawing of a church on a hill with a cloudy sky in the backgrounda drawing of trees in a field with a full moon in the backgrounda black and white drawing on a piece of paperan image of a drawing of a river running through a canyonan image of a black and white drawing of a tree on a hillan image of a black and white drawing of a treedrawing of a group of people riding horses down a dirt roadan image of a drawing of a village with a river running through ita black and white drawing of a tree in a fielda black and white drawing of a tree in the middle of a fieldan image of a drawing of a bridge over a rivera black and white drawing of a street with a church in the backgrounda drawing of a man standing on top of a hill under a cloudy skyan image of a drawing of a river running through a fieldan image of a black and white drawing of a tree by a riveran image of a black and white drawing of a bridge over a riveran image of a drawing of a man walking down a pathPhoto 28/30 du lotan image of a black and white drawing of a tree in the woodsan image of a table with a list of items on it
Premium Senequier-Crozet (Anciennement Sadde Grenoble)

58 - Eugène Viala (1859–1913)
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Estimate €1,000 - €1,200
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Description
Eugène Viala (1859–1913) Gestes de la terre. 25 etchings by E. Viala. 1911–1913. An oblong album [330 x 260 mm], in loose sheets, containing 25 prints including a title page. Etching (with aquatint for the title page). Costecalde nos. 342 to 366. Very fine prints on cream laid paper with ‘Rives / Eug. Delâtre’ watermark, followed by a table of subjects. A few scattered foxing spots. Large pale moisture stains on plates 24 and 25. All margins intact. Folder lined with grey vellum, bearing the title repeated on the upper cover (with a faint watermark), with the notation in pencil ‘number 44’ in the lower right-hand corner, the table of contents repeated on the third cover, with a few short tears and creases along the edges. Printed in a run of 125 copies. ‘Born in 1859 in Salles-Curan (Aveyron), Eugène Viala was a multifaceted artist: etcher, poet, painter and watercolourist. From 1877 to 1879, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier before moving to Paris in 1881 to study at the Académie Jullian; there he was a pupil of Ernest Hébert (1817–1908). From 1884 to 1889, he frequented the Montmartre and Montparnasse districts with a group of friends, all passionate about poetry, painting and ideals. He returned to Rodez in 1889 and worked as a photographer on the side to support his family and raise his four children. From 1890 to 1900, he divided his time between Paris and Rodez to sell his work. This free-spirited, even anarchistic artist, a lover of nature, led a tragically impoverished life, yet never abandoned his fierce determination or his creative fervour, until Maurice Fenaille, a major industrialist and patron of Rodin, Camille Claudel and Bourdelle, came to support his work at the start of the 20th century. Eugène Viala died prematurely as a result of an accident, at the age of 54. [It was through the technique of etching] that his art would develop and find its distinctive character. His engravings fall into two categories: biting visions and desolate allegories, on the one hand, and more realistic yet nonetheless sombre landscapes, inspired by certain austere aspects of his native region, the Lévezou, on the other. Here, Viala developed an undisguised fondness for figures of tormented trees, battling against the elements. His prints are characterised by a form of dark romanticism interwoven with dreamlike visions. […]. The fantastical and visionary dimension of his work places Viala in the tradition of painter-engravers who, from Francisco de Goya to Rodolphe Bresdin and Odilon Redon, were adept at harnessing the evocative power of black ink. ’ (Taylor Foundation, exhibition ‘Eugène Viala – La Cendre du rêve’, 13 March–3 May 2025). The copies of this suite, published by Eugène Delâtre following the artist’s death, were to be signed on each sheet as indicated on the full-page title page, but the artist died as a result of an accident before he could do so. Expert: Hélène BONAFOUS-MURAT.
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About the sale Ancient and modern prints
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Auction time 09/22/2026 at 2:00 PM
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