FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2025 
This Week in La Gazette Drouot : A rare painting by Jean Metzinger
W hile a post-impressionist painting by Metzinger recalls the historic sale of La Peau de l'Ours, where a new generation of artists made their mark in the early days, it also reveals a few secrets...
By Henri Guette
Read the full version of "A rare painting by Jean Metzinger reveals a second, forgotten sale of "Bear Skin" in La Gazette Drouot
The fresh colors of Jean Metzinger's Vue des Quais (View of the Quays ) are immediately appealing. The work's interest grows, however, as we examine an almost faded label on the stretcher, bearing the seal of La Peau de l'Ours. On March 2 , 1914, his collection was auctioned at Hôtel Drouot, under the gavel ofMe Henri Baudoin.
The date has gone down in history : it set record prices for Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh and Derain, among a whole new generation to which Jean Metzinger belonged.This panorama of young painting, which brings together Fauvists and Cubists, offers a formidable compendium of the early years of the20th century.
The fresh colors of Jean Metzinger's Vue des Quais (View of the Quays ) are immediately appealing. The work's interest grows, however, as we examine an almost faded label on the stretcher, bearing the seal of La Peau de l'Ours. On March 2 , 1914, his collection was auctioned at Hôtel Drouot, under the gavel ofMe Henri Baudoin. The date has gone down in history : it set record prices for Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh and Derain, among a whole new generation to which Jean Metzinger belonged.This panorama of young painting, which brings together Fauvists and Cubists, offers a formidable compendium of the early years of the20th century.
The catalog preface warns : " As it stands - and for the time being assembled - it [this collection] will perhaps constitute an abridgement, not without many gaps, of the sincere and personal research that painters have engaged in over the last few years. Abridged is still too much to say : achievements, of an era particularly fertile in its ardor and boldness ". Appraised by Druet and Bernheim-Jeune, the list of lots created quite a stir : it was the first time these painters had appeared at auction, and the press relayed the news, leaving plenty of room for controversy. Indeed, French taste still favors the Impressionists and Academists. Buyers came from further afield. German dealers made the trip especially for their clients. Many of the works later found their way into American collections.
Read the full version of "A rare painting by Jean Metzinger reveals a second, forgotten sale of "Bear Skin" in La Gazette Drouot
The fresh colors of Jean Metzinger's Vue des Quais (View of the Quays ) are immediately appealing. The work's interest grows, however, as we examine an almost faded label on the stretcher, bearing the seal of La Peau de l'Ours. On March 2 , 1914, his collection was auctioned at Hôtel Drouot, under the gavel ofMe Henri Baudoin.
The date has gone down in history : it set record prices for Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh and Derain, among a whole new generation to which Jean Metzinger belonged.This panorama of young painting, which brings together Fauvists and Cubists, offers a formidable compendium of the early years of the20th century.
The catalog preface warns : " As it stands - and for the time being assembled - it [this collection] will perhaps constitute an abridgement, not without many gaps, of the sincere and personal research that painters have engaged in over the last few years. Abridged is still too much to say : achievements, of an era particularly fertile in its ardor and boldness ". Appraised by Druet and Bernheim-Jeune, the list of lots created quite a stir : it was the first time these painters had appeared at auction, and the press relayed the news, leaving plenty of room for controversy. Indeed, French taste still favors the Impressionists and Academists. Buyers came from further afield. German dealers made the trip especially for their clients. Many of the works later found their way into American collections.
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