Jacques MAJORELLE (Nancy, 1886 - Paris, 1962)

Young woman seated on a black and white blanket Tempera and gouache on black paper with gold metallic powder highlights 55 x 57 cm Signed and localized lower left "J. Majorelle Marrakech Provenance: Sotheby's Paris sale, June 23, 2010, no. 56 Millon sale, December 7, 2011, lot 293 Millon sale, 04 June 2012, n°336 Private collection Bibliography: Felix et Amélie Marcilhac, Jacques Majorelle; Paris 2017; Répertoire de l'oeuvre peint; n° 98c 1940-1945, reproduced page 290 A tireless explorer of new lands, Majorelle never ceased to employ a variety of techniques to capture the beauty and luxuriance of the light, landscapes and people he encountered. From 1930 onwards, Jacques Majorelle temporarily abandoned kasbahs and southern landscapes to devote himself to a new theme: nude Negresses. He didn't hesitate to use the technique of metallic oxide to obtain this reflection of gold and silver on black canson to sublimate the brilliance of these ebony bodies that so fascinated him.