Nejad Melih Devrim

Collection of Camille Renault, Paris (commissioned from the artist circa 1955)
Sale: Vincent Wapler, Paris, Camille Renault Collection, 4 December 1999
Private Collection, Paris (acquired directly from the above)

Condition: This work is in good condition. There is minor wear on the four corners and very minor spot of paint loss on centre and bottom right edge. There are very minute abrasion along the left edges and the bottom left edge. There is no restoration visible under the ultraviolet light.
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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."

Commissioned by the restaurateur, galerist, collector and art patron Camille Renault (1904-1984) circa 1955, Untitled by Nejad Devrim is an exceptionally unique work from this leading Ecole de Paris artist's oeuvre.

Camille Renault was above all a mécène, a patron helping out the artists throughout his own lifetime. After working at various restaurants in his younger years, he opened his own restaurant in Puteaux, a suburb of Paris in 1925. It was called "Big Boy" after his nickname, due to him being overweight. It was frequented by the contemporary artists, who went on to represent the period of the modern and post-war art history including Jacques Villon, Marcel Duchamp, Fernand Léger, Andre Lhôte, Georges Braque, Jean Dubuffet and Francis Picabia. In return for their drawings or paintings, Renault would offer them his delicious meals and drinks.  

The two subjects which Renault mostly requested were horses and his own portrait. Some of his portraits by these artists were to find their way into the collections of major museums such as the one by Jacques Villon in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Fikret Mualla, Selim Turan, Mubin Orhon and Nejad Devrim were among the Turkish artists living in Paris in the 1950s who were also commissioned to paint for Renault. Their subject was horses and for Renault all the horse paintings had to be done on a 50 by 150cm. canvas to adorn the walls of the barn in his mansion in Broué.

Despite the figurative subject he was given by Renault, Nejad stayed loyal to his Abstract Expressionist style, but also accommodated the request of a patron. Although at first glance, the painting looks like an abstract composition, with closer examination, the figures of the jockeys become more distinct with Devrim's use of fast brushstrokes and vibrant palette. The contrasting, interwoven colours bring movement to the composition as if the jockeys are in an active race.

Working with a subject that is uncommon for Nejad, Untitled is a true testament to the artist's outstanding mastery of his technique, rightfully making him on one of the most valuable Abstract Expressionist artists of his time.