Josephine Baker: Queen of the Music Hall in the Roaring Twenties

Published on 04 November 2021, by Claire Papon

Auction on 19 November 2021 - 14:00 (CET) - Salle 6 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

With her mischievous, sparkling eyes and eternal smile, Josephine Baker revolutionized the dance world. As preparations are being made for her entry into the Pantheon, in Paris, this portrait also brings this admirable lady back into the spotlight.

Jean Isy de Botton (1898-1978), full-length portrait of Josephine Baker, 1931, oil... Josephine Baker: Queen of the Music Hall in the Roaring Twenties

Jean Isy de Botton (1898-1978), full-length portrait of Josephine Baker, 1931, oil on canvas, 215 x 130 cm/84.6 x 58.2 in.
Estimate: €100,000/150,000

Sometimes the model is more famous than the painter, as witnessed in this painting. Jean-Isy de Botton was the artist behind this large 1931 portrait of Josephine Baker (1906-1975). What circumstances led to its creation? When and how did they meet? No links between the two are mentioned in either the memoirs of Freda Josephine McDonald compiled by Marcel Sauvage or the biography by Phyllis Rose, Josephine Baker in Her Time . Though the painting's history is incomplete, we know it was bought on June 27, 2002, at Tajan in Paris for €13,750, where it was offered rolled. Carefully preserved, it is now back in the spotlight a few days before the great lady's entry into the Pantheon on November 30th: the anniversary of her marriage in 1937 to French soccer player Jean Lion, which enabled…

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