Galerie Dreyfus
82
-
MAURICE UTRILLO (PARIS, 1883 – DAX, 1955)
The Market in Mont…
See original version (French)
82
-
MAURICE UTRILLO (PARIS, 1883 – DAX, 1955)
The Market in Mont…
See original version (French)
Estimate €100,000 - €125,000
Voluntary lot
Description
MAURICE UTRILLO
(PARIS, 1883 – DAX, 1955)
The Market in Montmartre
1924
Oil on cardboard
38 x 51.8 cm.
Signed and dated lower left ‘Maurice. Utrillo, V. 1924’
Provenance
Paul Pétridès, Paris.
Continental Galleries of Fine Art, Montreal.
Private collection, New York; Christie’s auction, New York, 12 May 1988, lot 258.
Gilbert Pétridès, Paris.
Acquired from the above.
Certificate
Appraisal by Jean Fabris
On this occasion, Utrillo temporarily turns away from the urban landscape, with its
ruler-straight buildings, to focus on his figures, framing them as closely as possible in order to capture the atmosphere
of the Montmartre market. Stereotypical, even formulaic, his female figures
all share the same curvaceous silhouette, with a rounded hip. Ignoring the
‘low-waisted’ fashion of the time, the painter instead seeks to convey volumes through
interchangeable colours, as evidenced by the two skirts – blue and ochre – worn by the women on the right, or
the black dresses of the war widows in the centre. Little attention is paid to detail and
the faces are difficult to make out. The painter works with small, vivid and colourful brushstrokes.
For here, it is the recreation of a lively and colourful atmosphere that interests the artist. His palette
of warm colours, which brings the tree foliage and market stalls to life, is echoed
in the faces and hair of the figures. The red wall that frames the composition
on the left thus echoes the chimneys and roofs, glimpsed through the foliage, but also
the woman on the right, who provides a counterpoint to it. With his Tachist approach, Maurice Utrillo
demonstrates his full range of talents as a colourist here.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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