James Ensor (1860-1949), whose 75th death anniversary is being celebrated this year, is little associated with still lifes, even if they represent a quarter of his works, recalls the auction house. However, they were often influenced by elements of their direct environment.
Ensor made still life a formidable theater of things
The dedication by the painter’s hand at the top of the canvas constitutes another singularity of the work since the artist dedicates it to his friends and collectors of his work, the Demoulière couple, notes Arenberg Auctions.
The work which has just resurfaced appeared only in the form of a sketch annotated in his notebook Liber Veritatis which he kept from 1929 to 1941 and which is kept today at the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting could be dated around April 18, 1940 thanks to an additional inscription contained in the notebook.
A crowdfunding campaign for the restoration of a work by James Ensor
“The fact that this painting is resurfacing now, after so many decades, is an event in itself,” comments Henri Godts, expert at Arenberg Auctions. “Not only is it extraordinary that this work is so well documented, but it is also incredible that a painting which completely disappeared from the market for 80 years and which seemed lost, reappears in the very year which is dedicated to Ensor,” adds the expert.
In addition to the still life, ten engravings by Ensor will also be on sale during the auctions organized from June 27 to 29.
