- 35
Paul César Helleu
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Paul César Helleu
- Portrait de Mademoiselle Granier
- signed Helleu. (center left)
- pastel on canvas
- 36 5/8 by 25 5/8 in.
- 93 by 65 cm
Provenance
Galerie Antoine Laurentin
Private Collection, France
Private Collection, France
Literature
Frederique de Watrigant, Paul César Helleu, Paris, 2014, illustrated p. 94
Condition
Minor wear to edges, pin dots along top edge, small nicks to paper in background at upper left, overall the colors and pastel are fresh.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In addition to Helleu’s career-defining elegant and expressive drawings of fashionable women (including his wife, see lot 34), from 1883-1890 the artist exhibited a number of pastels remarkable for their harmonious colors of blue and gold while others were studies in delicate shades of grey and brown. A leading member of the Société des Pastellistes, Helleu received praise from critics including Joris-Karl Huysmans who also supported the Symbolists and was entranced by John Abbot McNeill Whistler’s evocative nocturnes. Completed in 1885, Portrait of Mademoiselle Granier shares many of the same aesthetics with these movements, with its limited number of colors in various tones and expressive handling of pastel to create a somewhat mysterious, beautiful portrait of a young girl.