Chagall leads Impressionist - Modern Art sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris

A stunning painting by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) leads Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale on 4 December in Paris. The sale will also include a selection of works of art from the John and Joanna Meulkens collection assembled in the 1980s.

Emilie Millon - Specialist of Impressionist and Modern Art

"This painting from a private collection is truly exceptional, not only for its visual beauty, but also for the depth of its message, its symbolic dimension and its universal emotional impact. Rendered in a rich yellow, this painting conveys a dream-like atmosphere that underscores the deeply personal iconography for which Chagall is celebrated. Key motifs - such as the goat, the rooster, and stylized villages - illustrate the artist’s enduring imagery and imaginative vocabulary.”

Like many of the oneiric motifs of his prolific oeuvre, Marc Chagall’s unrelenting fascination with spiritual and religious imagery draws from his childhood in the town of Vitebsk, which was enriched by the rituals, ceremonies, and legends of Jewish life. These left a vivid mark on the young artist’s imagination, and he found himself increasingly returning to his roots throughout his eight-decade-long career, filtering his personal history through the prism of expressive and deftly-handled color. Chagall’s intricate play of nostalgia, romantic love, and mystical iconography creates a distinct visual language and a fanciful and rich documentation of his life. Executed in 1961, Le sapin bleu exemplifies the evocative and nostalgic imagery that permeates the later works of Marc Chagall’s remarkable career.

Other highlights of the sale include

Nu allongé, 1929 by Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968) is an amazing oil on canvas. It is a very special work by the artist. Not only does it have an exceptional provenance, but it is also one of the largest works from Foujita's Nude series ever to come to market. It is also an oil on canvas rather than on silk, which enabled Foujita to employ his personal nyuhakushoku (milk whiteness) technique of delicately superimposing a luminescent white background (the secret of which he never revealed) to capture his model's white skin. The material, smooth and satiny, offers a rare transparency.

Auguste Rodin, Hanako (Ota Hisa) dit Marseillaise, circa 1907. This magnificent drawing from the former collection of Antonio Santamarina was probably executed around 1906-1907 after the Japanese actress Hanako, whose stage name was Ota Hisa. Hanako was trained in traditional Japanese dance and worked as a geisha from an early age. She moved to Europe in 1902 and joined a theatre troupe, which drew the attention of Rodin's friend, the American dancer Loïe Fuller. In 1906, Fuller encouraged the company to perform at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille. Rodin saw the show, where he drew the Cambodian dancers. Fascinated by Hanako’s expressive qualities, he invited her to pose for him regularly. They met again in Paris in January 1907, which would be the start of a long and fruitful collaboration.

Paul Signac (1863-1935), 17 watercolours for the Mémoires d'un touriste de Stendhal, 1931.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Le peintre et son modèle, pen and ink on paper. Executed in 1970, this drawing evokes themes of intimacy and vulnerability. The woman, though stylised, appears both exposed and powerful, highlighting the contrast between the artist and her subject. By choosing bold lines, Picasso captures the energy and passion that drive this interaction.