ALPHONSE OSBERT | LES MUSES DANS LA FORÊT

The artist's studio (until 1939) 

Yolande Osbert (daughter of the artist)

Galleria del Levante, Milan (acquired from the above and until 1971) 

Sale: Sotheby's, London, June 23, 1981, lot 109, illustrated

Il Giornale d'Italia, April 1973 

Véronique Dumas, Alphonse Osbert (1857-1939): Vie, œuvre, art. Essai et catalogue raisonné de l’œuvre complet, Ph.D. dissertation, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand II, 1999, p. 52, no. 94, illustrated n.p. 

Milan, Galleria del Levante, Simbolismo e Art Nouveau, December 2, 1969-January 25, 1970

Florence, Galleria Menghelli; Bologna, Galleria Stivani, Aspetti del Simbolismo, 1973

Ravenna, Pinacoteca Comunale, Europa due tra Sogno e Impegno, 1973 

A close acquaintance of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (Puvis de Chavannes was best man at Alphonse Osbert's wedding in 1894), and friends with Georges Seurat since student days, Osbert's style reflects the calm meditative influence of both artists. Exhibiting frequently across Europe, he participated in a show with Maurice Denis at Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, and with the Nabis at Le Barc de Boutteville in 1891. In 1896 he contributed to both the Salon de l'Art Nouveau at Galerie Bing and the exhibition Artistes de l'Ame at the Théâtre de la Bodinère in Paris. Osbert exhibited in all the Rose + Croix exhibitions from 1892 onwards, and remained its most loyal contributor. The present work is emblematic of the serenity and beautiful color harmonies of Osbert's evocative crepuscules.