1256 - LEBASQUE, HENRI

LEBASQUE, HENRI 1865 Champigné–1937 Le Cannet Title: Apple Trees in Bloom. Date: Circa 1914. Technique: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 65 x 81.5 cm. Inscription: Monogrammed lower right: HL. Verso: On the canvas, an inventory label from Paris, as well as various handwritten notes. Certificate: D. Bazetoux, October 8, 2002; a copy is available. Henri Lebasque grew up in modest circumstances in the French countryside as the son of a cooper. He first developed his artistic talent at the École des Beaux-Arts in Angers before transferring to the Académie Colarossi in Paris in 1885. In the art capital, he soon became personally acquainted with first-generation Impressionists. He was particularly influenced by his friendship with the much older Camille Pissarro, as well as with Auguste Rodin. For several years, Lebasque assisted Ferdinand Humbert in painting the interior of the Panthéon. Throughout his life, in addition to classical painting, the artist always made room for the applied arts—the decoration of theaters and opera houses, as well as church interiors and a pleasure boat. In 1890, Lebasque became friends with the painters Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard, who were about his age. His exchanges with Paul Signac and Georges Seurat gave him insight into optical Divisionism. Henri Lebasque also discovered the Fauvist movement for himself. He was friends with Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, and Raoul Dufy. In his own painting, he created a personal synthesis of the diverse influences of this turn-of-the-century period in Paris, which was so fruitful for the art world. In 1906, the artist took a trip to southern France that had a lasting impact on his work: Impressed by the light of the south, Henri Lebasque’s palette brightened significantly. With his paintings—which often depicted scenes from his family’s life—the artist, who was exceptionally well-connected in the Paris art scene, enjoyed great success. This is further evidenced by an exclusive contract with the Galerie Georges Petit, one of the most influential galleries of the time. After many trips to the south of France, Henri Lebasque settled permanently in Le Cannet in 1924, where the artist—who had been awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor—died in 1937. Today, works by Henri Lebasque can be found in renowned museums and collections around the world dedicated to French art from the turn of the century. Blooming fruit trees are a picturesque subject in and of themselves, and ever since Vincent van Gogh painted a series of works on this theme in 1888, it has become an iconic motif in modern art. In this painting, Henri Lebasque forgoes the figurative elements that are otherwise frequently found in his work. The canvas is filled solely by two apple trees standing in a meadow against a range of hills that appear blue in the distance. Through brushstrokes of highly varied orientation, as well as a stark contrast between the impasto application of paint on the blossoms and the dry, translucent canvas texture used to depict the background, Henri Lebasque creates a visual curiosity: the scene appears both sharp and blurred at the same time. This gives rise to a very special charm—a shimmering effect as if stirred by the wind. In terms of content as well, Lebasque goes beyond the mere pictorial motif here. An older, profusely blooming tree, which seems to be bending under the weight of its blossoms, stands next to a young, slender, soaring specimen. The full spectrum of maturity and youthful exuberance seems to speak from these neighboring trees. Henri Lebasque, who is aptly described as the painter of joy and light, has achieved a remarkable success with this painting. Provenance: Private collection, Germany; From the estate of the Robert Wallraf Collection (1900–1966), son of Max Wallraf (1859–1941), former Lord Mayor of Cologne, minister, and President of the Reichstag, and brother of the art collector and art dealer Paul Wallraf (1897–1981). Literature: D. Bazetoux: Henri Lebasque. Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 1. Neuilly-sur-Marne, 2008. p. 360, no. 1536, with ill Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport is only available via a shipping company after consultation following the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros For a total invoice amount exceeding 25,000 Euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the USA by individual arrangement after the auction. #Henri Lebasque #Post-Impressionism #France #19th/20th Centuries #Trees #Landscape #Paintings.