Irish Art

Irish Art

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 6. A July Morn, Place du Tertre, Paris.

Harry Kernoff, R.H.A.

A July Morn, Place du Tertre, Paris

Lot Closed

May 10, 01:06 PM GMT

Estimate

40,000 - 60,000 EUR

Lot Details

Description

Harry Kernoff, R.H.A.

1900 - 1974

A July Morn, Place du Tertre, Paris


signed KERNOFF and dated 37 (lower left)

oil on board

unframed: 63.5 by 94cm.; 25 by 37in.

framed: 80 by 105cm.; 31½ by 41¼in.

Executed in 1937.


__________________________________________________________________________


Harry Kernoff, R.H.A.

1900 - 1974

A July Morn, Place du Tertre, Paris


signé KERNOFF et daté 37 (en bas à gauche)

huile sur panneau

sans cadre: 63.5 by 94cm.; 25 by 37in.

avec cadre: 80 by 105cm.; 31½ by 41¼in.

Exécuté en 1937.

Acquired directly from the Artist in the 1960s and thence by descent to the present owners

-----------------------------

Acquis directement auprès de l'artiste dans les années 1960, puis par descendance au propriétaire actuel

Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 1937, no.164

Harry Kernoff was a great chronicler of the everyday, bringing his subjects to life through his distinct, rhythmical style. The present work is a wonderful evocation of Paris as the city stirs on a sunny July morning. Place du Tertre, located in Montmarte under the shadow of the Sacré Coeur, has long appealed to artists. In painting here, Kernoff was following in the footsteps of many of the great modern masters from Picasso, Modigliani and Utrillo who at one stage resided in the area. Today, it remains a hub for artists who set up their easels and display their work.


We see this artistic focus reflected in name of the café on the left of the present work: Jeune Peinture. Discreetly sat underneath it - between two cloth capped locals - is Kernoff himself, wearing his customary trilby hat. In the lower right corner, an elderly figure stands with a portfolio under his arm, another artist beginning his day. Restauranteurs prepare their tables, while a few early patrons have taken their seats. Colourful umbrellas stand in front of ‘Maison Catherine’ – a sign still visible today. Located above in a window overlooking the square, a lady stands on her balcony. In the foreground, two girls and a dog loiter idly.  


The scene is a perfect stage for Kernoff’s keen eye and playful sense of form, which enabled him to uniquely convey the character of his subject, whether that be Paris or his more familiar scenes of Dublin and Dubliners. Another example of Paris also from 1937, Sunday Evening – Place du Combat, Paris, was sold Sotheby’s, Paris, May 2022 and is now in the Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland where it is currently on display. The present work is making its auction debut having remained in a private collection since the 1960s.