I t is a great honor for Sotheby's to present on December 8th in Paris an important selection of works from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schmit. This selection was assembled over the past decades by Robert Schmit and his wife Nadine. Eminent specialist of 19th and 20th century painting, Robert Schmit (1920-2008) established in 1964 the Galerie Robert Schmit at 396 rue Saint Honoré in Paris, which would quickly become one of the most important in Paris. Commentators at the time described the Gallery as one of the "…rare places where miracle could happen... [with] Degas and Monets as we usually see only in museums, sensitive and delectable Boudins, furtive and silky Fantin-Latours, [...], Sisleys and Corots in dialogue as equals with delicate Lépines or magical Redons...". in his gallery, Robert Schmit established a bridge between the great masters of the second half of the 19th century, often precursors of impressionism, and the modern schools. Robert Schmit was also a great expert and published several catalogues raisonnés (Eugène Boudin, Stanislas Lépine and René Princeteau) while also editing the one of André Derain.

Witness to both an eclectic and erudite taste, this exceptional collection reveals a sharp eye for the great masters of the 19th and 20th centuries, with a fascinating selection starting with Gustave Courbet and Eugène Delacroix before moving on to the art of Eugène Boudin and Odilon Redon and that of the great impressionist and neo-impressionist masters (Alfred Sisley, Georges Seurat, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Mary Cassatt). The modern schools are also featured with works by Raoul Dufy, Jacques Villon and Kees van Dongen, whose La belle Fatima, an emblematic painting from his Fauve period, is among the highlights of the sale.

Assembled by a discreet and erudite couple, this unique group of works bears witness to a lifetime of a shared passion in art. This first session will be followed by a second sale in March 2022.