71 - Gaston SUISSE (1896–1988).

Gaston SUISSE (1896–1988). Two Birds on a Branch. Panel with polychrome lacquer (small scratches and chips along the edges), signed lower right. Height: 63 cm - Width: 44 cm Note: The son of Georges Suisse—a friend of Samuel Bing, a collector of Asian artifacts, and a great bibliophile—Gaston Suisse grew up in a family of artists open to new ideas, particularly Japonism. He drew inspiration from his father’s books on flora and fauna, his Japanese prints, and also from the Jardin des Plantes, where he discovered animals that he sketched. There he met Paul Jouve, who was eighteen years his senior and who would also introduce him to Rembrandt Bugatti. Encouraged by his artist friends, he passed the entrance exam for the École nationale des arts décoratifs in Paris and soon began specializing in lacquerwork. Largely self-taught, conducting his own experiments with color and materials, he applied up to ten layers of lacquer. His work was exhibited at the Georges Petit, Charpentier, and Edgar Brandt galleries, as well as at the Susse Gallery. He also collaborated with Jansen, Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, and Boyer on their furniture pieces.