On the occasion of “Drawing’s Week” in Paris, Christie’s France will hold its biannual auction of Impressionist and Modern Art on March 31st. The sale will feature approximately 60 lots with a total value of around €5,000,000. This sale notably includes paintings from the Indosuez Wealth Management’s Parisian collection; an ensemble of paintings by some of the most prestigious early 20th century artists. A portion of the sale proceeds will benefit the bank’s foundation which serves the nation’s most vulnerable individuals, under the aegis of the Foundation de France.
Created in 2011, the Indosuez Foundation invests in initiatives to help the public, might they be elderly, disabled, adolescents and young adults, victims of an addiction or high-risk behavior. The foundation supports innovating charity projects in France, that are intended to maximize a function of social utility, disregarding any commercial profit.
Collected by one of the bank’s founding partner’s during the 1970’s, the selection comprises nine paintings, estimated between 400,000 and 600,000 euros, by artists such as Eugène Boudin, Emile Bernard and Théo Van Rysselberghe, among others. Together, these works illustrate some of the most important artistic chapters in the early 20th century of art history.
Amongst the highlights of the collection is La vue du port de Vathy, Samos, painted by Emile Bernard (1868-1941) in the fall of 1893 (estimate: €150,000-250,000). When Emile Bernard executed this landscape, he was influenced by masters of the period, for example Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Louis Anquetin. The painter realised this powerful view of the port when he visited Samos Island in Greece. Using flamboyant colors and sophisticated aesthetics, the painter proves the major role he held in the Avant-Garde movements, particularly amongst the Cloisonnism, Synthetism and Symbolism.
Executed by Theo Van Rysselberghe (1862-1926) in 1914, a powerful landscape depicting Cap Bénat, pin sur la côte, is another major work of the collection (estimate: €100,000-150,000). Van Rysselberghe was the leader of the Belgium Divisionism movement; and completed this painting while at the peak of this artistic maturity. The ease and liveliness with which he uses color, the frank touch and the modern construction of this painting are proof of his maturity.
The Indosuez Wealth Management collection also includes Touques, les prairies à marée basse (estimate: €60,000-80,000) a Normandy landscape dated 1888-1895 by one of the Impressionists Masters, Eugène Boudin (1824-1898). The artist was very fond of Normandy as he was born in this region. This painting shows how gifted he was in capturing the weather changes, an ability deeply admired by many painters, including Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and Charles Baudelaire.
