MOÏSE KISLING (Cracovie, 1891 - Sanary, 1953) Lot n° 10

NUDE LYING 1917 Oil on canvas Signed lower right 46 x 61 cm Provenance Private collection, Albany, New York Private collection A.K., Paris Bibliography Jean Dutourd, Kisling, 1891-1953, ed. Jean Kisling, Tome III, 1995, reproduced on p. 364, no. 9 The man whom critics had already dubbed the "King of the Montparnos" in 1917 was only 26 years old. Kisling was a colourist of genius. This body, exposed in full light, is boldly lying on a thick green cushion on a red sheet in front of a blue table. In the background, off-centre, a piece of Provence evokes the landscapes of Saint-Tropez that the painter painted during his stay in the South of France (fig. 1). In this studio, one forgets about the war. The model has struck a provocative pose. One wonders about her identity. Could it be Kisling's wife, Rénée Gros, who was married on 21 August 1917?