Les roses

JEAN-PIERRE CASSIGNEUL

Born Paris 1935

Ref: CB 138

Les roses

Signed lower left: Cassigneul; inscribed with the title on the stretcher

Oil on canvas: 31 ⅞ x 25 ⅝ in / 81 x 65.1 cm

Frame size: 41 ¾ x 35 in / 106 x 88.9 cm

Painted in 1974

Provenance:

Wally Findlay Galleries, New York

Christie’s New York, 18th May 1999, lot 93

Private collection, circa 2013

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work, which is accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist (reference no. 2137)

‘J’aime particulièrement la splendeur éphémère des bouquets. Quel artiste n’a jamais peint un bouquet sur une table? Les fleurs sont un thème universel qui traverse toutes les époques.’

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul [1]

A striking, insouciant nude in a light blue, panelled interior rests her elbow on a table-top of dark gold, her delicate form obscured by an opulent bouquet of bright pink and pale yellow roses. The woman’s cool colouring echoes the vivid and densely painted flowers, giving shape and expression to her skin. The deep green of the verdant leaves also articulates her silhouette and heavy-lidded eyes, in a manner reminiscent of the Fauve artist, Kees Van Dongen. Her bobbed hair and bold eye make-up recall French film stars of the 1960s, such as Mireille Darc in Jean-Luc Goddard’s Week-End (1967). Cassigneul began painting portraits of elegant and enigmatic women in 1963 and they remain his favourite and most celebrated subject; their timeless appeal making Cassigneul one of the most successful contemporary French painters.

Born in Paris in 1935, Cassigneul was sent to Switzerland during the war, returning to spend much of his childhood at the House of Jean Dessés, founded by his grandfather and managed by his father. Here the artist was surrounded by haute couture, models and seamstresses, which likely inspired his images of Parisian style and love of bright colour. His first solo exhibition was held at the Lucy Krogh Gallery in Paris in 1952. In 1954, the artist enrolled at the Académie Charpentier and then took private classes with Jean Souverbie before studying at the École des Beaux-Arts and working in the studio of Roger Chapelain-Midy. After military service in Algeria, Cassigneul exhibited at the Tivey-Faucon Gallery in Paris in 1964, which was reviewed in France Soir and led to his representation in Japan, as well as commissions to illustrate books by Baudelaire, Joseph Kessel and later Françoise Sagan. As well as lithography, Cassigneul has also worked in stained glass, tapestry and has designed posters, scenery and costumes for the Bolshoi Ballet.

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul has exhibited in France, America and Japan.

The artist divides his time between Geneva and Île de Ré.

[1] The artist cited in Cassigneul: Peintures, Éditions Méroé, Paris 2019, p.85.