Henri Manguin (1874-1949), Deux femmes sur un... Lot 18

Henri Manguin (1874-1949), Deux femmes sur un balcon, 1923, watercolor and graphite pencil on paper, signed and dated, 29x36 cm (on view)We thank Mr. Jean-Pierre Manguin for confirming the authenticity of this work.Note:Preparatory drawing for Sur la terrasse de l'Oustalet , Bibliography: Lucille et Claude Manguin,Henri Manguin : Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Ides et Calendes, Neuchâtel, 1980, p. 253, no. 740, ill.Provenance: Georges Couturat, Paris, c.1930, then in the family to this day GEORGES COUTURAT COLLECTION (1890-1948) A major dealer, patron and collector in the first part of the 20th century, Georges Couturat was a friend of painters. A great-uncle of the current Swiss owners by marriage from a patrician Vaud family, he worked to promote the work of modern artists such as Manguin, Camoin, Cross and Signac. He built up an extraordinary collection of several hundred works in his Paris apartment, including one of Caillebotte's masterpieces, "Man on the Balcony". As an aesthete, he never hesitated to offer advice to artists during their creative process. More than an advisor to some, his relationship with Manguin could be likened to that of a confidant, comforting the latter in his moments of doubt and helping him to establish his own painting. All the works from this collection marked in blue in the catalog (lots 17 to 35 and 2106 to 2226) have remained in the family by descent to this day.