Charles Kvapil

The Bathers

circa 1920s

Charles Kvapil was born in 1884 in Antwerp, Belgium, of Czech origin. He exhibited his first works there in 1908 at the Salon d'Anvers. After the war he attended l'Académie des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp and began to exhibit in Paris in 1920 at the Salon des Indépendants. Kvapil was known primarily as a painter of people, in particular of curvaceous nudes. He moved into a studio in Montmartre where he painted his models in the studio with Sacre Coeur as backdrop. He also painted in the countryside like the Impressionists. Kvapil's paintings are creative and modern; his nudes and bouquets of flowers are energetic and powerful. His palette is rich in cobalt blues and in fiery earth tones. His technique is intuitive and confident. Although his oils were often modestly presented on panels of wood or soft board, those formats did not detract from the evident talent he displayed nor from the joy exemplified in his paintings. His paintings are vigorously sought after when they become available at the international auction houses. He is now represented in many public and private collections including the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, in the museums of Le Havre, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Amsterdam and Tunis. He exhibited in his lifetime in Paris, Munich, Brussels, Geneva, Rome, in Stockholm, London and New York.