Collection du Dr Henri Bourges (1861-1942), puis par descendance

Vente Clermont-Ferrand, Me Vassy-Jalenques, Collection du Dr Henri Bourges, 12 novembre 2022, lot 73 

Acquis lors de cette vente par l'actuel propriétaire

Collection Louis Grandchamp des Raux

Paris, Galerie Brame & Lorenceau, Anquetin La Passion d'être Peintre, mars-avril 1991, n°22, reproduit p. 60-61 (selon une étiquette au dos)

Washington, National Gallery of Art, Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre, mars-octobre 2005, fig. 143, p.207 (selon une étiquette au dos) 

Vincent Van Gogh and the Birth of the Cloisonism, catalogue d'exposition, Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Rijksmuseum V. Van Gogh, Amsterdam, janvier-juin 1981, reproduit fig. 83, p.231

Toulouse-Lautrec, catalogue d'exposition, Londres, Hayward Gallery, Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, octobre 1991 - juin 1992, fig.320, reproduit en noir et blanc p.264

Gazette Drouot, n° 39, 4 novembre 2022, reproduit en couleur p.149

Gazette Drouot, n° 41, 18 novembre 2022, reproduit en couleur p.228-229

Louis Anquetin established himself as one of the pioneers of modern painting, making a decisive contribution to the emergence of Cloisonnism and the affirmation of a new vision of modern life.

In the mid-1880s, Vincent van Gogh, then living in Paris, coined the term “peintres du petit boulevard” (painters of the Petit Boulevard) in conversations with his brother Theo. By this he meant those young, innovative artists – including Anquetin, Bernard and Toulouse-Lautrec – who, far from the prestigious galleries of the city centre, were exploring new aesthetic paths and painting the lively scenes of contemporary urban life. In contrast, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Sisley, supported by the art dealers Paul Durand-Ruel and Georges Petit, reigned over the ’grand boulevard’.

It was within this vibrant artistic moment that Louis Anquetin developed his own style, with painting that was bold, modern and deeply Parisian. This new manner of painting – the Cloisonism that he adopted – brought him rapid recognition.

It was also during this period that Louis Anquetin produced the present pastel, imbued with femininity, depicting the regulars of a Parisian café-concert. Far from a posed scene, the artist captures, with remarkable spontaneity, a fragment of bohemian life on the Butte in a liberated Post- Impressionist style, reminiscent of Toulouse-Lautrec (ill. 1). The tight framing, which cuts off the figures in the foreground, lends the composition a modern, cinematic quality. The velvety black of the clothes worn by the two women contrasts with that of the figure in the centre wearing a blue-green dress, with flaming red hair, eyes made up in blue and crimson lips.

The composition pulsates with a bold yet masterful interplay of colours. The presence of a third figure, seen from behind, suggests that the scene continues beyond the visible framing, inviting the viewer to mentally extend the narrative. This visual device introduces a subtle dramatic tension. Faithful observer of la vie parisienne, Anquetin frequented with keen interest the cafés, cabarets and places of entertainment, favourite subjects of a spirited city. These three women at the bar are part of the numerous

studies of female figures that he had been exhibiting since 1888 (ill. 2 and 3).

A veritable snapshot of modern life, this vivid and spontaneous pastel perfectly captures the nocturnal atmosphere of fin-de siècle Paris, a central theme in Anquetin’s oeuvre. His figures, caught in the moment, are the embodiment of modernity – by their demeanour, their appearance, but also through the painter’s bold use of colour and innovative composition.

Fig. 1 : Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Au Salon de la rue des Moulins, huile sur toile, Albi, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec

Fig. 2 : Louis Anquetin, Élégantes, scène de rue, 1888, Pastel, fusain et lavis sur papier

Fig. 3 : Louis Anquetin, Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night, 1889-1893, huile sur toile, Musée Van Gogh, Amsterdam