Maurice Utrillo, 1883 Paris - 1955 Dax LE LAPIN... Lot 553

Maurice Utrillo, 1883 Paris - 1955 Dax LE LAPIN AGILE SOUS LA NEIGE, UM 1950 Oil on canvas. 37 x 46 cm. Signed "Maurice Utrillo V" at lower right. In a gilt baroque frame (minimal dam.). Enclosed is a certificate by Gilbert Pétridès and the confirmation of inclusion in the catalogue raisonné of Jean Fabris, in copy. Le Lapin Agile was recorded by Utrillo in all seasons and was one of his favourite motifs. In 1983 a 4 franc stamp was even issued with the motif. The name of the cabaret on Montmarte comes from a sign that André Gill painted for the cabaret in 1875. It showed a rabbit jumping out of a pan. The sign was commonly called "Lapin a Gill", and accordingly the restaurant was called "Le Lapin Agile". Apart from Utrillo, Picasso and Modigliani were also regularly to be found here. (†) Provenance: Jean Foulon Collection, Paris. Literature: Paul Pétridès, L'oeuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, vol. III, Paul Pétridès Éditeur, Paris 1969, no. 1936, p. 220, with black and white illustration p. 221. (1241742) (13) Maurice Utrillo, 1883 Paris - 1955 Dax LE LAPIN AGILE SOUS LA NEIGE - ca. 1950 Oil on canvas. 37 x 46 cm. Signed lower right "Maurice Utrillo V". In baroque style frame applies (with minimal damage). Accompanied by a certificate by Gilbert Pétridès and a confirmation regarding the painting's inclusion in the catalogue raisonné by Jean Fabris, both in copy. Le lapin agile was one of Utrillo's favourite subjects and he painted it in all seasons. This subject even featured on a 4-franc postage stamp in 1983. 1875, the caricaturist André Gill painted the sign for the Cabaret that was to suggest its permanent name. It depicted a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan and from then on the Cabaret was commonly known as "Le Lapin a Gill", which evolved over time into Le lapin agile, i.e.