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painting of a group of women sitting on a couch in a rooma painting of a group of women sitting on a coucha picture of a painting on the wall of a buildinga picture of a picture of a window with a number on ita picture of a picture of a sign on a wallan image of a close up of a piece of wood with a label on ita picture of a sticker on the door of a housea close up of a wooden box with a label on itclose up of a wooden table with a stamp on ita close up of a piece of wood with a stamp on ita close up of a piece of wood with a stamp on ita label on a piece of wood that says andre cheneua piece of paper that has been written on itan old book on a wooden pole with a sticker attached to itan image of a close up of a label on a wooden tablea label on a piece of paper that says maurice robinota picture of a handwritten receipt on a piece of papera label on a piece of wood that says souven tban old french advertisement for a hotel in parisa picture of a picture of a wooden frame with writing on itblack and white photograph of a man in a sweater and tiean image of a painting of a group of women sitting on a coucha close up of a wooden mask with long hair on a tablean image of a painting of a group of people in a rooma black and white photo of a woman sitting on a coucha piece of paper on a piece of wood with writing on it
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8 - Marie LAURENCIN (1883–1956)
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Estimate €100,000 - €120,000
Sale commission
Description
Marie LAURENCIN (1883–1956) André Salmon and his entourage – 1910 Oil on cardboard mounted on a parquet-style panel Signed and dated top right 64 x 85 cm Artist’s certificate annotated “Le Poète 1911. André Salmon next to Marie Laurencin, a sort of mermaid and two figures. Les Ponts. The Seine. I lived at 32 Rue Lafontaine with my mother. Marie Laurencin” Note: Signed and dated by the artist at a later date (probably after 1945) Provenance: - Sale of the ‘Peau de l’Ours’ Collection, Maître Henri Baudoin, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 2 March 1914 (lot 48 in the catalogue, sold for 475 gold francs to Jos Hessel) - Collection of Jos Hessel (1859–1942), art expert, dealer and collector (many of his paintings are now held in international museums) - Galerie Michel Couturier, Paris Exhibitions: - “Cubism 1907–1914”, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, 30 January to 9 April 1953 (A historic exhibition, as it was the first French retrospective devoted to Cubism as a founding movement of Modern Art) - “50 Years of Modern Painting”, Galerie Europe, Brussels, 1956 (cat. no. 29) - “Since Bonnard”, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, 23 March to 19 May 1957 (cat. no. 110) - “From Bonnard to the Present Day”, Haus der Kunst, Munich, 15 July to 24 September 1961 (catalogue no. 65) Bibliography: - “Marie Laurencin 1883–1956. Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings” by Daniel Marchesseau, Éditions du Musée Marie Laurencin, Nagano-Ken, 1986 (reproduced as no. 54, p. 71)  Note: Our painting has a legendary provenance, namely the famous ‘Peau de l’Ours’ sale of 2 March 1914. In 1904, a group of art lovers, centred around the lawyer André Level, took a bold initiative: the creation of a collective collection named “La Peau de l’Ours”. The aim was as simple as it was innovative. Over the course of a decade, these young enthusiasts would acquire works by emerging artists, mainly modern paintings, with a view to the future and the discovery of new talent. The project stood out for its avant-garde spirit, at a time when contemporary art was still largely scorned. Each member was required to contribute 250 francs annually, and a prize draw determined who would be allocated the acquired works. But their ambition did not stop there: from the outset, the plan was for this collection to be put up for public auction after ten years. The idea was not so much to make a profit as to support young artists by offering these art lovers the opportunity to live with the works, whilst ensuring that they would, in the long run, increase in value on the art market. The group comprised 11 members from diverse backgrounds, linked by family ties or friendships. These young collectors explained their decision to focus on modern art in the auction catalogue: the great works of the past were already out of reach, and they decided to take the risky but exhilarating gamble of supporting the art of their own time. As the preface to the catalogue emphasised, they wanted to “take the risks inherent in new things” rather than cling to works that had already been established. The high point of this venture came in March 1914, during the auction at the Hôtel Drouot. It was a landmark event in the Parisian art world. “The sale began yesterday at two o’clock under the direction of Maître Henri Baudoin, who presided over the proceedings with a dry, precise and brisk manner: there was a large crowd, and the sort of people one is not accustomed to seeing at the Hôtel Drouot. Art dealers and art lovers were out in force. Young artists’ work is of far greater interest than one might think. There were also a large number of artists present: those whose works were being sold, their colleagues and friends; Cubists such as Gleizes, Metzinger and La Fresnaye; poets, Mario Meunier, Alfred Lombard, with the elegance of a dandy, who had climbed onto the bench and was clinging to the handrail, Max Jacob, dressed in a red cloak; André Salmon was following the sale closely and taking notes; journalists, onlookers”. (André Warnod, “La Vente de la Peau de l’Ours”, Comoedia, 3 March 1914). The auction was lively and revealing of the tastes of the time, with paintings by Picasso fetching impressive prices for the era. Picasso’s *Les Bateleurs* was sold for 11,500 francs, amidst boos, to the German dealer Thannhauser (now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington). Our painting, depicting “A group of five people: four are seated on the left, a little girl is lying on the right”, was sold for 475 francs. The highest bids were undoubtedly those achieved by the Matisse and Picasso works. Whilst the paintings by Gauguin and Van Gogh went for 4,000 and 4,200 francs respectively, those by Matisse did not fall below 600, and several reached 1,850, 2,400 and even 5,000. As for Picasso, he stood out as the great triumphant of this sale. *The Man in the Cloak*, an early painting still signed ‘P.R. Picasso’, fetched 1,350 francs, whilst works from the Blue Period – pastels and paintings – went for 700, 1,100 and 1,350, and *Fruits in a Bowl* at 1,200 francs
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About the sale The Estate of Monique Couturier
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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