Lot 31. Moïse KISLING (1891-1953). Bohemian woman and her child. Oil on canvas signed, dated 1940 and located in Marseille, lower left. Height 100 – W 81 cm (yellowing of the varnish, small cracks). Provenance : Collection Louis Thène, patron and friend of Moïse Kisling. Photocopies of important correspondence between the two men are included. Bibliography: Catalog raisonné, Tome III, p. 168, no. 198. The work will be included in “Volume IV et Additifs aux Tomes I, II et III” of the Catalogue raisonné de l’Œuvre de currently being prepared by Marc Ottavi.

In 1939, Kisling enlisted as a private 2nd class, while wearing the Legion of Honor on his chest. He would return to civilian life the following year after the Armistice, when the Germans occupied Paris after defeating the French front. Warned by André Salmon of the danger to his anti-Nazi activities, Kisling prepared for exile, taking refuge in Marseille in the hope of crossing into Portugal. During his short stay there, he painted a number of remarkable pictures, including this one. A collector, Monsieur Thène, bought it immediately. On this occasion, Kisling’s wife Renée complained in a letter to Monsieur Thène that the money from the sale was being used by Kisling to frequent prostitutes. We know the painter’s attraction to street models, which he saw as more than just a physical representation, adding a psychological and sentimental dimension. Bohemians were his favorite models. Kisling enjoys depicting these perpetual wanderers, the fruit of an ancient migration. In “L’Epopée bohémienne”, illustrated by Kisling, he describes his fascination with this strange, mysterious, fierce and intuitive people, whose women know the past and foretell the future. In the background, a seated young woman, scarf tied around her neck, is dressed in a long, full skirt that conceals her body, in keeping with Gypsy dress customs. Deliberately unobtrusive, she holds in majesty a young girl, perfectly dressed and adorned in a traditional Hungarian costume that she has modified to her taste. Kisling adds to his painting what he perceives, feels and suspects. In our painting, the little girl is the object of her mother’s undivided attention, as she gazes at her tenderly. She is clearly her most precious possession, dearest to her heart. No matter how destitute, an unbreakable bond unites them. Marc Ottavi

Estimate €80,000 – 120,000. Farran Encheres. 05/04/25. Sold €88,000

Marc Ottavi, bezsprzeczny ekspert prac Mojżesza Kislinga dołączył bezcenny, pełen dodatkowego kolorytu fragment biografii malarza dotyczący okresu powstania Cyganki z dzieckiem. Wśród dominujących na rynku znakomitych martwych natur kwiatowych tego artysty, bardzo wylizanych pędzlem, ta przyciszona praca bardzo się wyróżnia co przekłada się na wycenę.