Jean-Pierre Cassigneul Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Élégante à Paris by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (b. 1935) Oil and graphite on paper 27.5 x 22.4 cm (10 ⁷/₈ x 8 ⁷/₈ inches) Signed lower right, Cassigneul Executed in 1964 Provenance Private collection, Tokyo This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Artist biography Born in Paris on 13 July 1935, Jean-Pierre Cassigneul grew up in the exciting world of Parisian haute couture. His father, Jean Dessès (1904 – 1970), was the founder of a world-leading fashion house, designing dresses for European royalty and movie stars, among others. Surrounded and inspired by his father’s modern designs and fashion models, Cassigneul would later integrate those subjects into his vibrant yet often melancholic paintings of fashionable women in hats. Studying at the Académie Charpentier in Montparnasse, Cassigneul was soon introduced into the art scene of the neighbourhood. Notably, he made a good impression on the model and gallerist Lucy Krohg, who offered to exhibit his artworks in her own gallery. He was only seventeen when in 1952 he had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Lucy Krohg in Paris. It was in the 16th arrondissement, however, that Cassigneul met another significant figure in his life and artistic career, namely Jean Souverbie (1891-1981). As his friend and mentor, French painter Souverbie had a great influence on the young Cassigneul, introducing him to the work of artists such as Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, also known as Les Nabis. Soon after, Cassigneul was accepted into the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he worked for the well-established artist Roger Chapelain-Midy (1904-1992) from 1956 to 1960. In 1958, the Galerie des Beaux-Arts exhibited his works, while in 1963 Cassigneul took part in the Salon de la Jeune Peinture alongside French painters Bernard...