55 - Mela MUTER (Warsaw 1876 – Paris 1967)

Mela MUTER (Warsaw 1876 – Paris 1967) Women on the Banks of the Rhône in Avignon / Sketch of a Man’s Portrait Circa 1940 Double-sided oil on canvas 100 x 96 cm These works come from a collection of paintings assembled by an international lawyer beginning in the mid-1950s. Advised by the painter David Peretz, Mr. T collected works by artists such as Pinchus Krémègne, Michel Kikoïne, Mela Muter, and Marcel Gromaire. Mela Muter is a Franco-Polish painter and draftswoman who is emblematic of the School of Paris. Maria Melania Kingsland was born in Warsaw into a wealthy Polish Jewish family. She studied at the School of Drawing and Painting for Women in Warsaw. In 1901, she arrived in Paris with her husband, Michal Muttermilch, and enrolled at the Académie Colarossi and later at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. She quickly became a prominent figure in Montparnasse, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. Settling in Paris, where she had her own studio, she held well-received exhibitions, notably at Druet. Her early works were Symbolist landscapes and portraits; she later evolved toward a more Expressionist style. Her landscapes of the South are influenced by Cézanne’s legacy—particularly in the geometric treatment of forms—as well as by the Fauves and the Expressionists. The painting presented here was created around 1940 in Avignon. During World War II, Mela Muter lived in hiding in Avignon. She was helped and sheltered by certain families and residents. Mela Muter is particularly distinguished by the importance she places on the human figure. Throughout her career, she painted portraits of numerous figures from the arts, literature, and politics, including François Pompon, Raymond Lefebvre, Léopold Gottlieb, and Georges Clemenceau. Her work also features anonymous figures—ordinary men and women who, under her brush, become true subjects of her paintings. Very close to her models, Mela Muter often encountered them by chance during her travels, and they became recurring characters in her compositions. Overlooking the Rhône, three women are depicted standing, carrying jugs and a basket. They appear to be passing by and continuing on their way. Here, Mela Muter has created a true masterpiece, whose pictorial language revolves around the subject, forms, and colors. The repetition of the female figure lends the work a striking visual intensity. This group of women is both in the foreground and occupies nearly the entire composition. Furthermore, the vibrant colors give rhythm to the composition. Blue, in particular, appears from right to left on each of the figures and establishes a chromatic continuity among them. This repetition of color creates a diagonal line of sight that guides the viewer’s gaze. Under Mela Muter’s brush, these women become monumental, like caryatids. Each figure takes on a three-dimensional quality. The treatment of forms, volumes, and textures amplifies their presence in space. On the back of the canvas, a sketch of a man’s portrait is visible. His sideways glance and pensive expression lend him a natural significance. His face is rendered in the artist’s characteristic style, with brushstrokes that leave visible areas of unpainted canvas. The vigor of the brushwork reveals the artist’s talent as a portraitist. E.V. Provenance: Gmurzynska Gallery, Cologne, 1960s Passed down to the current owner This work comes from a collection of paintings assembled by an international lawyer beginning in the mid-1950s. Advised by the painter David Peretz, Mr. T collected works by artists such as Pinchus Krémègne, Michel Kikoïne, Mela Muter, and Marcel Gromaire. A certificate from Ms. Ewa Bobrowska may be provided upon request at the purchaser’s expense.