MAURICE UTRILLO (1883-1955) THE THATCHED HOUSE,... Lot 71

MAURICE UTRILLO (1883-1955) THE THATCHED HOUSE, MONTMARTRE, CIRCA 1918 Oil on Isorel pasted on panel Signed lower right Oil on masonite laid on panel; signed lower right 37 X 49,5 CM - 15 X 20 1/8 IN. - - A certificate from Galerie Paul Pétridès, dated April 11, 1962, will be given to the buyer. The Maurice Utrillo Association has confirmed the authenticity of this work. - A certificate from the Maurice Utrillo Association will be given to the purchaser. - PROVENANCE Léon Charbonnier Collection, Lyon Collection Julien Charbonnier, Lyon Besch Cannes, November 12, 2011, lot 157 Acquired at this sale by the current owner Private collection, France - BIBLIOGRAPHY Paul Pétridès, L'œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, Paris, 1959-1974, Tome II, plate no. 734, p. 222 - RELATED WORKS Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955), rue Saint Vincent et la maison d'Henri IV à Montmartre, circa 1912, oil on canvas, 61 x 50 CM, private collection Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955), Henri IV's cottage, rue Saint-Vincent in Montmartre, 1913, oil on canvas, 79 x 58 CM - If Montmartre had to choose just one of its contenders, it would be Maurice Utrillo. The child of the Butte never ceased to admire his neighborhood, its inhabitants and its buildings, like Monet, admiring his Rouen cathedral, which changes according to the time of day. Focusing on the treatment of color, Utrillo makes the most of his surroundings, painting a portrait of Parisian streets that is certainly melancholy, but faithful. Our composition, La maison de chaume à Montmartre, painted around 1918, is a good example. A true witness to urban evolution, Utrillo left behind a precious cartography. Here, Henri IV's house is depicted, just as Utrillo painted Berlioz's house in 1914. Many changes took place in the district over the course of the 19th century, starting with its annexation by the city of Paris in 1860. Despite this event, Montmartre retained its secluded village character, with every nook and cranny known to Utrillo. Notably, at the corner of rue Saint-Vincent and rue du Mont-Cenis, a seemingly simple house was the former residence of composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) from 1834 to 1837, but more importantly, the studio of painter Georges Braque (1882-1963) in 1911. These houses and streets are a symbol of Montmartre's bohemian community. The atmosphere captured, so particular and unique to Utrillo, works like a Proust madeleine, and as the painter's first dealer, Louis Libaude, noted, "Maurice Utrillo evokes, for any sensitive Parisian, the nostalgia of the native town, its sickly skies, its resigned houses. [...] His landscapes are often streets, seen in succession, the distance between them lost in minutiae. Sometimes, too, he simply shows us a wall, a few trees and the sky. That's enough to be a poet and a painter". "quoted in" G. Coquiot, Cubistes, futuristes, passéistes: essai, sur la jeune peinture et la jeune sculpture, Paris, 1914, p. 191. - The publication of lots on our website is equivalent to prior exhibition. Lots can be viewed by appointment at 37 rue des Mathurins (75008 Paris). You can contact us by email palazuelos-e@tajan.com or by telephone 01 53 30 30 48. A condition report can be drawn up on request; the information contained therein is provided free of charge and for information purposes only. It is not a substitute for your own personal assessment. For further information, please refer to our general terms and conditions. - The publication on our website is equivalent to a prior exhibition. Condition reports may be available on request. They are provided free of charge as a convenience to our buyers and are for guidance only. They may not be an alternative to your personal appreciation.