Lot 33. Simon Mondzain (Szamaj Mondszajn) (Polish, circa 1887/1888-1979). Accueil a l’Inconnu, signed ‘Mondzain'(lower left); titled, signed and inscribed with address and dated ‘1932’ ( on the reverse), oil on canvas, 250 x 170cm (98 7/16 x 66 15/16in). Painted in 1932. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist’s studio. Exhibited: Jewish Artists of the School of Paris, Artcurial Vienna – Artcurial Brussels – Artcurial Paris, 2015. Sold for £ 40,250 (US$ 56,011) inc. premium

Literature:

Elzbieta Grabska, Mondzain exhibition catalogue, Polish Institute, Paris, 1999.
Marek Roefler, Artur Winiarski, exhibition catalogue, Les Maîtres de l’École de Paris, Éditions Villa la Fleur, Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland, 2012, p. 52.
Jewish Artists of the school of Paris 1905-1939, Somogy éditions d’Art, Paris, 2015, p. 261. Estimate 10,000 – 15,000 GBP. Bonhams. 03/03/21

Dwie duże i dobre prace Szymona Mondzajna, wystawiane niedawno w Polsce. Obie powstały w Paryżu w okresie międzywojennym. Warte grzechu.

Lot 34. Simon Mondzain (Szamaj Mondszajn) (Polish, circa 1887/1888-1979). L’offrande, signed ‘Mondzain/ Paris 1925/ 6’ (lower left), oil on canvas, 170 x 160cm (66 15/16 x 63in), unframed. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist’s studio.

Literature:

Charles Kunstler, Mondzain, Éditions Montbrun, Paris, 1948, p 10.
Elzbieta Grabska, exhibition catalogue, Autour de Bourdelle, Paris et les artistes Polonais, 1900-1918 , Paris, 1997, Éditions Paris Musées, p. 67.
Marek Roefler, Artur Winiarski, exhibition catalogue, Les Maîtres de l’École de Paris, Éditions Villa la Fleur, Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland, 2012, p. 51.

Simon Mondzain was born near Lublin in Chelm, Poland. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts and the School of Fine arts in Warsaw and, in 1908, at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In 1912, Mondzain moved to Paris where he met among others Kisling, Merkel, Zawadowski, Adolphe Basler, Max Jacob, André Derain and Otton Friesz. During the World War I, he volunteered in the Polish section of the French Foreign Legion, where he was inspired by the life in service. In 1920, he was invited by the Fine Arts Club of Chicago to exhibit his work. Three years later, he acquired the French nationality and became a member of the Salon des Tuileries. During the German Occupation, Mondzain, with his wife and friends such as Albert Marquet and André Gide, settled in Algiers where he welcomed many Polish refugees. In 1944, following the death of Max Jacob in Drancy internment camp, he wrote his memoires: Max Jacob and Montparnasse, which were published in the journal L’Arche. Until the independence of Algeria, Mondzain lived between Paris and Algier. Estimate 9,000 – 11,000 GBP. Bonhams, 03/03/21. Sold for £ 60,250 (US$ 83,843) inc. premium