Lot n° 107
Estimation :
10000 - 15000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 28 575EUR
Vicente MANANSALA (1910-1981) - Lot 107
Vicente MANANSALA (1910-1981)
Nude in an armchair.
Oil on panel.
Signed, located in Paris and dated 50 lower left.
(marks of an old frame at the edges of the panel and small pinhole at the top).
55 x 46 cm
Provenance: private collection, South of France.
Note:
A Filipino artist, Vicente Silva Manansala (1910-1981) attended Ramon Peralta's painting studio, specializing in signs and posters, from the age of 15. Between 1926 and 1930, he studied at the Philippine School of Fine Arts, where he quickly made a name for himself. He then obtained numerous scholarships, notably from UNESCO, which enabled him to study in Canada and France, as well as in the United States and Germany.
In 1950, he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris for nine months, where he studied with Fernand Léger. Under Léger's influence, he developed a unique version of Cubism, nicknamed "Transparent Cubism" for its use of translucent colors.
His first solo exhibition took place the following year in Manila. He was part of the "Thirteen Moderns" group, led by Victorio Edades. Manansala became a pioneering artist of Philippine Modernism, alongside Cesar Lesgapi (1917-1994) and Hernando Ocampo (1911-1978). His favorite subjects were scenes of daily life, still lifes and nudes.
In 1982, he was posthumously awarded the title of National Artist of the Philippines, in recognition of his role in the development of Philippine Modern Art.
The work we will be auctioning dates from 1950, when he was attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He paints a woman with long red hair and voluptuous forms, posing nude, seated on a Voltaire armchair upholstered in burgundy velvet, in front of a table with curved legs. In her left hand, she holds a red towel, and at her feet, a basin. The scene is set against a background of translucent, contrasting colors.
This work can be compared with a charcoal he produced the same year in Paris, showing a young woman, perhaps the same model, with her hair up, posing in the same interior (reference: Lot 73 - sale December 2, 2017 - Leon Gallery, Philippines).
Also known from his Parisian sojourn is a view of Notre-Dame Cathedral, painted on a panel of the same dimensions as ours (reference: lot 89 - sale October 10, 2004 - Sotheby's, Singapore).
Our Nude in an Armchair testifies to the influence he received in Fernand Léger's studio, and marks a crucial stage in the establishment of his style. The nude stands out against a background of flat tints reminiscent of the Cubist style that would later appear in most of his works. Characteristic of the artist, this vibrant background allows his subjects to stand out and be highlighted.
During his stay in France, the artist also traveled to the Côte d'Azur, as evidenced by a watercolor dated 1951 and depicting a view of the island of Port Cros, next to Porquerolles (reference: Lot 152 - Sale June 9, 2018 - Leon Gallery, Philippines). It is perhaps on the occasion of this stay that our work joins the private collection in the South of France in which it was rediscovered.
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