Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Mr Paul Leclercq

Details

“Literature:
Maurice Joyant, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, vol. 2, Dessins, estampes, affiches, Paris 1927, p. 230, with illus;
Maurice Joyant, 70 dessins de H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, Sargent 1930, p. 54, with illus;
Marcel G. Dortu, Toulouse-Lautrec et son œuvre, vol. VI, New York 1971, p. 790, cat. no. D. 4.418, with illus. Provenance:
Maurice Guibert Collection (1856-1922), Paris;
his estate auction of 16-21 November 1922 (as part of lot 401);
Collection M. Galanti, Paris, probably acquired at previous auction;
Private collection;
Beaussant Lefèvre & Associés, Paris, auction, 12 February 2014, lot 2;
Florian Sundheimer Kunsthandel, Munich;
Private collection, Bavaria, acquired in the above gallery.”

Description

This drawing, which shows the writer Paul Leclercq (1872-1956) in profile, testifies to Toulouse-Lautrec’s immense talent for capturing the character of the sitter with just a few lines. In 1897, Leclercq, co-founder of the literary magazine La Revue Blanche, modelled for him for a painting which is now exhibited in the Musée d’Orsay (inv. no. RF 2281) and shows Leclercq sitting in a casual pose in a wicker chair. While Leclercq has a questioning, almost sceptical look in the drawing, he appears more distanced in the drawing due to the sideways gaze, but far more relaxed and amused by the upward curving line of his mouth. In fact, Toulouse-Lautrec (unlike Cézanne) did not require his models to sit still for hours on end, but allowed them to vary their posture and move up and down freely in his studio. Mounted on cardboard in the corners. – Paper somewhat darkened and with faint traces of folding. Individual small, partially backed marginal tears. In good condition.

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