Ken Howard

Nude in the artists studio

c.2010

Signed and titled oil on board nude circa 1905 by Belgian neo-impressionist painter Georges Lemmen. The work titled 'Reverie' depicts a red-haired lady who is kneeling down and resting her head on her arm. Signature: Signed lower right and titled on original artist's label verso Dimensions: Framed: 16"x19" Unframed: 10"x13" Provenance: Original artists label verso for Georges Lemmen at 96 Avenue Coghen , Brussels Private collection - Brussels Georges Lemmen was the son of an architect and studied under Amédée Bourson at the academy in St Joost-ten-Node. He was invited in 1889 to join the Group of Twenty ( Cercle des XX) which had been launched in 1884 by Oscar Maus and had in the interim emerged as an influential force in Belgian artistic circles, not least by bringing to public and critical attention the work of such artists as Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. The Cercle des XX would be reborn in 1894 as La Libre Esthétique. In the early days of the Cercle des XX, Lemmen espoused a pointilliste technique. His earlier painting was clearly influenced by the Neo-Impressionists; over time, however, his style became more subtle and nuanced - recalling, perhaps, that of his compatriot Van Rysselberghe, another Cercle des XX member. With the group's rebirth as the Libre Esthétique, Lemmen's work became more intimiste in character, most notably in his portraits, nudes and still-lifes, where the influence of Bonnard and Vuillard is unmistakable, as is that of Renoir, particularly after Lemmen's travels in the Midi in 1911. From this point onwards, he would go on to make a major contribution to the renewal of the graphic and decorative arts in terms of his input to the new 'free' aesthetic and to Art Nouveau. Although his draughtsmanship retained its essential purity and elegance of line, his painting became more fleshy, imprecise and sensual, his compositions governed less by technical considerations than by the urgent need to express his emotions. Between 1889 and 1893, Lemmen exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, aligning himself with the Neo-Impressionists. In 1893, Henry van de Velde invited him to participate in the Pour l'Art association that had been created in Antwerp. He travelled to the south of France in 1911. By this juncture, he had already exhibited solo on two occasions (in 1906 and 1908) at the Galerie Druet in Paris. A further solo exhibition in 1913, his first in Brussels, cemented Lemmen's reputation. Museum and Gallery Holdings: Bremen (Kunsthalle): Standing Nude Combing her Hair Brussels (Mus. royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique): Children's Room (watercolour); Reading; Couture; Young Girl by the Sea...

Signed impressionist oil on canvas still life by French painter Jeanne Baudot. The work depicts a bowl filled with red and green apples and grapes. Signature: Signed upper left Dimensions: Framed: 33"x29" Unframed: 26"x22" Provenance: By direct descent from Jeanne Baudot to her godson Jean Griot Jeanne Baudot's father, Emile, was doctor to French artist Auguste Renoir's relatives when they lived in Louveciennes. In 1893, she met Auguste Renoir through her cousin Paul Gallimard, an art collector. Renoir travelled from his studio in Montmartre to meet the aspiring painter and give his opinion on her work. Renoir was so impressed with what he saw that soon she became his only pupil. Form 1897 to 1914, she lived at 4, Rue du Général Leclerc in Louveciennes, where Renoir had his workshop. She became the godmother of Auguste Renoir's second son, Jean Renoir, at the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church, while Georges Durand-Ruel was the godfather. Throughout her life she stayed close to Jean Renoir, who became a film director. He wrote the preface of the exhibition catalogue of her retrospective in 1960 at Galerie Durand-Ruel. Auguste Renoir painted several portraits of Jeanne Baudot. They became great friends, accomplices and confidants. They painted side by side, in the studio of the painter, in the studio of Jeanne and outside, in the countryside, in Louveciennes, in the South and elsewhere, chatting cheerfully. He gave her advice, and shared his own concerns, such as those caused by his talks with the representatives of the State to make them accept the paintings bequeathed by Gustave Caillebotte. Maurice Denis painted Auguste Renoir and Miss Jeanne Baudot in 1906. Jeanne Baudot was a childhood friend of painter Julie Manet, the daughter of Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet, and appears in many instances of Manet's diary. Her name was given to a street in Louveciennes. Lifetime Exhibitions: 1905, Paris, Salon d'Automne. 1906, Paris, Salon des indépendants. 1925, Paris, Salon des Tuileries. 1930, Paris, Galerie Dru from November to December 1930. 1950, Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, from April 28 to May 15, 1950. Retrospective Exhibitions: 1966, Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Dame & Demoiselles – Blanche Hoschedé, Jeanne Baudot, Paule Gobillard...

Signed figures in interior oil on canvas circa 1910 by sought after French impressionist painter Edouard Leon Cortes. This charming and nostalgic work depicts a family enjoying dinne...

Signed and dated oil on canvas figure in interior painting by American impressionist painter Frederick Carl Frieseke. The piece depicts a young girl in a pink dress seated at a piano...