Lot 40. Moïse KISLING (Krakow 1891 – Sanary sur Mer 1953). Nude sitting on the grass. Created in 1950. Original oil on canvas 89 x 70 cm. Signed and dated lower left “Kisling 1950”. On the back, on the stretcher the label of Moise Kisling’s personal collection “M. Kisling 10”, the label “Photo n°30”, the label “Malingue …” and the number 16 in red pencil, the label “International Art Transport ref 3405”. Provenance: Moïse Kisling Collection, Paris Collection of the artist’s family, by inheritance. Private collection, acquired from the latter. Exhibitions : Kisling, April 3-15, 1975, Tokyo, Galeries Seibu, Shibuya, no. 48 (reproduced) Kisling, April 19-May 5, 1975, Osaka, Galeries Seibu Takatsuki, no. 48 (reproduced) Kisling, May 18-June 6, 1984, Tokyo, Grande Galerie Odakyu, no. 74 (reproduced) Kisling, August 4 -26, 1984, Miyazaki, The Miyazaki Prefectural Institution Kisling, August 30-September 11, 1984, Osaka, Daimaru Art Gallery,Shinsaibashi Kisling, September 27-October 2, 1984, Kobe, Daimaru Art Gallery, no. 74 (reproduced) Kisling retrospective, November 1984, Paris, Grand Palais, Salon d’Automne, no. 51. Kisling centenaire, April 18 – July 12, 1991, Paris, Galerie Daniel Malingue, no. 56 (reproduced). Bibliography: Kisling (Jean), Kisling (preface by Joseph Kessel), tome I, Paris, 1971, bilingual edition, p. 310, pl. XI. Jacques Lambert, Kisling Prince de Montparnasse, Les éditions de Paris Max Chaleil, 2011, (reproduced).
The École de Paris department announces the sale of two major works by Moïse Kisling, the emblematic Polish-born painter of the École de Paris. These two works, from Moïse Kisling’s personal collection, remained in the artist’s family through inheritance, and were subsequently acquired from the family by the current owner. These two paintings, “Jeune gitan” (Young Gypsy) and “Nu assis sur l’herbe” (Nude sitting on the grass) were painted in Sanary in the painter’s villa studio “La Baie”, the plans for which were drawn up by his wife Renée. These two works are reproduced in black and white in Volume I of the artist’s catalog raisonné, are reproduced in reference publications and have been exhibited many times in France and abroad, notably in Japan. The painting “Jeune gitan” (“Young Gypsy”), executed in 1952, is an iconic work in the Young Boys series. The model, with his large black eyes, fine features and stylized hair, tenderly embodies the beauty of young manhood that Kisling repeatedly depicted. From the same collection comes a monumental, sculptural nude, Nu assis sur l’herbe, dating from 1950. According to oral tradition in the artist’s family, Kisling had a particular preference for this painting, which he kept at home and which we are presenting here today: Nu assis sur l’herbe.
Moïse Kisling’s fame is partly due to the nude genre, which he esteemed and celebrated throughout his career. Here, there are no famous models reclining on a couch or studio nudes embodying the woman of the ’50s. On the contrary, quite exceptionally, the artist paints here an idealized nude, timeless, almost unreal. The artist unveils a Venus, a nymph or a modern bather. The coiled hair at the temple, extending down to the grass, echoes the ancient myth of the birth of Venus. Hypothetically seated beside a stream, this modern nymph, with her pure, universal gaze and a modest smile on her face, seems to belong to a distant past, while at the same time conveying the painter’s particular modernity.
This non-commissioned work, which the artist keeps in his personal collection, is in a way a manifesto of his vision of the art of the nude in 1950. Kisling works on the nude in the classical sense of the term, delivering a work with multiple references to ancient and modern painting, and probing the essence and artistic codes of the nude genre.
Ancient statuary is one of the fundamental artistic sources for the nude, and Kisling creates a monumental, sculptural reconstruction of a dreamed-of antiquity.
This figure of massive, sculptural proportions recalls some of the canons of Greek and Roman antiquity, while at the same time exaggerating them. The artistic sources appear multiple. The painting also echoes Old Masters such as Titian, as well as the work of Jean-Dominique Ingres. The central position of the subject and anatomical deformations are features that the painter was able to study at the Louvre, particularly in front of La Grande Odalisque and La Baigneuse de Valpinçon. Kisling also drew on the paintings of Renoir and his massive nudes. Indeed, the painter was able to study Reno
Estimate 200,000 – 300,000 euro. Millon. 10/22/24. Sold 220,000 euro
Dwa fantastyczne obrazy, które Mojżesz Kisling namalował pod koniec swojego życia. Mogą stanowić gold standard do których można odnosić pozostałe jego prace. Oba w Millon na nadchodzącej aukcji Ecole de Paris.
Lot 41. Moïse KISLING (Krakow 1891 – Sanary sur Mer 1953). Young gypsy. Realized in 1952 Oil on canvas, 73 x 60 cm. Signed and dated lower left “Kisling 1952”. On the back, on the stretcher the label “Kisling 0107″, the label of Transports André Chenue & Fils Exposition Kisling Prêteur Mr. Jean Kisling n°52 Jeune Gitan”, the label of Transports André Chenue & Fils Exposition Kisling Prêteur Mr Kisling Jeune Gitan, the old label “107” and a Japanese exhibition label on the back of the frame “N°19”. Provenance: Moïse Kisling Collection, Paris Collection of the artist’s family, by inheritance Private collection, acquired from the latter Exhibitions: April 1 – 30, 1953, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Château-Musée, Kisling, Oeuvres récentes, n° 16 Kisling, November 5-24, 1953, Paris, galerie Drouant-David, no. 4 Kisling, December 5-20, 1955, Avignon, galerie “La Calade”, n°4 Kisling, April 3-15, 1975, Tokyo, Galeries Seibu, Shibuya, no. 52 (reproduced) Kisling, April 19 – May 15, 1975, Osaka, Galeries Seibu Takatsuki, no. 52 (reproduced) Modigliani, Utrillo, Kisling, August 29 – September 17, 1980, Tokyo, Tokyu Art Gallery, no. 80 (reproduced) Hommage à Kisling, October 7-25, 1988, Paris, Mairie du XVIème, Salon des artistes du XVIème, (reproduced without number) Kisling centenaire, April 18 – July 12 1991, Paris, Galerie Daniel Malingue, no. 63 (reproduced).
Bibliography : Nacenta (Raymond), Los Pintores y el ambiente artistico de Paris desde 1910, Editorial Rauter, Barcelona, 1960, p. 138 (repr.) ; Kisling (Jean), Kisling (preface by Joseph Kessel), tome I, Paris, 1971, bilingual edition, p. 133, pl. XXXIV. Jacques Lambert, Kisling Prince de Montparnasse, Les éditions de Paris Max Chaleil, 2011, (reproduced)
Estimate 120,000 – 180,000 euro. Passed
Lot 59. Moïse KISLING (Krakow 1891 – Sanary sur Mer 1953). Seated nude. Circa 1930. Oil on canvas 34.3 x 27.4 cm. Signed lower right “Kisling”. We would like to thank Mr. Marc Ottavi for verbally confirming the authenticity of this work. “Kisling brought realist painting to its highest potential through his frantic need to create. He doesn’t seduce at first. He surprises and conquers by force. Then his enchantments take effect. One never forgets Kisling’s works, for they are as different as their subjects themselves… He never repeats himself, and each of his works is a new experience of color. His love of life, his sensual and paroxysmal temperament, his prodigious health, make him the most powerful colorist of the Ecole de Paris.” Florent Fels, Kisling, artistes juifs, Paris, Edition Le Triangle, 1928, p.16.
Estimate 40,000 – 60,000 euro. Sold 50,000 euro
Polish Art Corner 