Pierre Soulages: Untitled, 1979. Signed. Indian ink and gouache on paper. Sheet size 29.5 x 31 cm. Estimate: DKK 600,000-800,000.

World-class French Art

At this summer’s Live Auction on 13 June, you can experience an exceptionally fine selection of works by French artists – either by birth or association. Each of them are among the preeminent artistic voices of their generation.

In the years after the Second World War, Paris was transformed into a melting pot of different impressions and possibilities. After the liberation, artists and intellectuals flocked to the city, keen to participate in rebuilding its reputation as Europe's leading centre of cultural life. The result was a fruitful creative environment, where artists with different backgrounds and nationalities were inspired by each other with a desire to create a hopeful alternative to the horrors of war.

The art scene naturally split into several directions and interests. While Pierre Soulages' well-known black brushstrokes made him a strong exponent of lyrical abstraction, Victor Vasarely, with his sophisticated optical patterns, was the 'inventor' of Op Art. And while Estève's sense of colour and how they interact are unsurpassed, Poliakoff masters the musicality of abstraction both on the canvas and as a talented guitarist at cabarets.

Black Brushstrokes and Optical Patterns

The French artist Pierre Soulages (1919-2022) is known as "The Painter of Black", although in reality he deals extensively with light. He does this with broad black brushstrokes that reflect the surrounding light and juxtaposes them against the white background. The auction's artwork by Soulages from 1979 is an example of the artist's special characteristics with the intense black brushstrokes. The artist created the piece for a theatrical poster promoting a performance of "Tartuffe" by Molière at the Bristol Music Center's Theater under the direction of the art-loving and popular Danish cultural figure Morten Grunwald. The piece has been in Grunwald’s collection ever since.

Pierre Soulages: Untitled, 1979. Theatre poster for Morten Grunwald's production of Molière's "Tartuffe" at the Bristol Music Center's Theatre.

Victor Vasarely: "Orgovan-Neg", 1955. Signed. Oil on board. 60 x 50.5 cm. Estimate: DKK 250,000-300,000.

Sharp geometry and optical patterns. This is how the Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely (1908-1997) became a world-renowned artist. Among other lots at this auction, you can delve into his work "Orgovan-Neg" from 1955, which with its geometric shapes shifts and breaks up the surface, so that it almost looks like the motif is moving and cracking. Vasarely was one of the pioneers behind Op Art, a style known for flickering patterns that create optical illusions and explore the eye's perception of space.

Resonating Colours and the Musicality of Abstraction

A very special and historical art treasure of a painting has now been rediscovered as an important part of the body of work by the French artist Maurice Estève (1904-2001). The painting entitled "Composition No 4" is from 1952 and represents the moment when the artist achieved his breakthrough in Scandinavia. The colour harmony of forms shows the artist's heyday after the 1930s, when he truly let go of the figurative elements and devoted himself to an abstract colour scheme. The work is up for auction alongside another of his colourful motifs.

Maurice Estève: Untitled, 1952. Signed. Oil on canvas. 24 x 14 cm. Estimate: DKK 125,000-150,000.

Serge Poliakoff: Composition abstraite, 1966. Signed. Oil on canvas. 73 x 60 cm. Estimate: DKK 800,000-1,000,000.

The Russian-born artist Serge Poliakoff (1906-1969) settled in Paris in 1923 and became part of the circle around Galerie Denise René, which played a central role for abstract art in the 1950s. He was a significant figure of the École de Paris after the Second World War and was inspired by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Jean Deyrolle and Victor Vasarely, while he often exhibited in Denmark with groups like Linien II in 1948. The auction's abstract composition of earthy colours from 1966 is an example of how Poliakoff creates his compositions with an emphasis on the surface quality of the colours and the relationship of the forms to each other.

Additional French Connections

At this modern art auction, you can also find two works by the Icelandic-born artist living in Paris, Gudmundur Erró – a forerunner of the European version of Pop Art. His still topical, satirical and socially critical works can currently be experienced at a large exhibition at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus. Among the auction's other artistic icons with French connections can be mentioned the master of the animal motif, Rembrandt Bugatti, and the poetic Jean-Michel Atlan.

As part of Bonhams' network of global auction houses, all the works will be offered at a Live Auction on Tuesday 13 June at 5 pm in our saleroom in Copenhagen, where they will also be exhibited from 7 to 11 June.