GEN PAUL (1895-1975) LE BOULODROME, CHEZ LA MÈRE... Lot 47

GEN PAUL (1895-1975) LE BOULODROME, CHEZ LA MÈRE PAILLE À MONTMARTRE, VERS 1926 Oil on canvas signed lower middle Oil on canvas; signed lower middle 73 X 92 CM - 28 3/4 X 36 1/4 IN. PROVENANCE A certificate from Mr. Harman, secretary of the Salon d'Automne, dated July 8, 1992, stating that the work appeared at the Salon d'Automne of 1926, under n° 1077, will be given to the buyer. The catalog of the 1993 sale mentions the existence of a certificate from Mr Roussary (Musée de Montmartre) which has not been kept. A certificate from Madame Gabrielle Abet-Gen Paul, dated June 17, 1992, will be given to the buyer. Mr Patrick Offenstadt has confirmed the authenticity of this work. A certificate can be obtained from the Gen Paul Committee on request and at the buyer's expense. Sale, Paris, Drouot Montaigne, Me Watine-Arnault, March 14, 1993, lot 5. Acquired during this sale by the parents of the current owner. Then by descent. Private collection, France. EXHIBITION Probably : Paris, Palais des beaux-arts, Société du Salon d'Automne, 1926, no. 1077. "It is amazing how close Gen Paul is to Willem de Kooning, the most important exponent of "action painting." Both had a strong gestural intensity, both used symbols. While de Kooning constantly changed the meaning of the signs he invented, Gen Paul kept the meaning once determined. Both worked tirelessly, drawing without interruption. Both placed great importance on form and composition. Indeed, Gen Paul was a master of composition, leaving nothing to chance. Every brushstroke had an intention, the smallest detail was in its right place. He used to say about his working method: "There is no work that does not have a framework, a structure... When you attack a canvas, you start with big brushes, and you finish with a dot; but every centimeter must correspond to a will." Carlo. A. Marca, Gen Paul, 1895-1975, Retrospective, Exhibition Catalogue, Menton, Palais de Carnolès, Musée des beaux-arts, Les amis de Gen Paul, Paris: 1993, p. 18.