Demetrios Galanis

Ambro and Edmond Zeiger-Viallet, France
Sale: Goxe & Belaisch, Enghien-les-Bains, 21 June 2009
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Original canvas. There are no signs of retouching visible under ultraviolet light, under an uneven varnish. Apart from some yellowing of the varnish and scattered fine surface dirt, and an old spot of paint loss at the lower extreme right edge, this work is in good condition, with rich colours and a strong surface. Held in a simple, narrow, light wood frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work celebrates the beauty and vivacity of Demetrios Galanis' French wife, Stephanie-Julie Bouvier. Called 'Fanny' by her intimates, she was a Provençale born in Castès.

Fanny's delicate features and her distinctive, almond-shaped eyes drew the attention of many admirers; she was also a muse to Henri Matisse, who captured her beauty and vivacity with similarly dynamic lines to those of Galanis in his etchings Fanny de face and Fanny de trois-quarts (fig. 1). Matisse had Fanny sit for these etchings when Galanis was conscripted into the French army, to financially aid his friends, as he did for the family of his friend Juan Gris. Matisse and Galanis were in regular, friendly correspondence from this time through to 1949, and shared many similar interests – both were avid musicians, and often played together, Galanis on the organ and Matisse on the violin.

Picasso, Braque, Rouault, Derain, Utrillo and many other members of the intelligentsia and avant-garde gathered at Galanis' and Fanny's studio-cum-home on 12 rue Cortot in Montmartre. Following the residence of the artists Maurice Utrillo, Raoul Dufy and Suzanne Valadon, Galanis and Fanny lived in this lively enclave between 1910 and 1964.

This portrait exhibits the influence of these modern pioneers, and the unusual angle at which Fanny is captured, as well as the earth-toned palette, are reminiscent of Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein of 1906.

The present work was painted around the time of Fanny and Galanis' arrival at the rue Cortot, circa 1910, which was a period of artistic and emotional richness for the Galanis family: Demetrios and Fanny's son, Jean-Sébastien, was born that year in Paris.

FIG. 1, Henri Matisse, Fanny de face and Fanny de trois-quarts, etchings, 1914
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