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Henri Lebasque painting tops $51,000 at Roseberys auction

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Henri Lebasque (French, 1865-1937) 'Baigneuses' sold for £33,210. Roseberys image
Henri Lebasque (French, 1865-1937) ‘Baigneuses’ sold for £33,210. Roseberys image

LONDON – Roseberys’ Sept. 8 fine art auction of paintings and modern sculpture saw a collection of modern art by French artists and sculptures achieve top prices. The highest achieving lot was the stunning oil on canvas painting titled Baigneuses, or Bathers, by the French post-impressionist painter Henri Lebasque, which sold to a private European collector for £33,210 ($51,552).

LiveAuctioneers.com provided absentee and Internet live bidding

“We were very pleased with the response to our recent auction and in particular the quality of the paintings by French artists seemed to be recognized by buyers, both trade and private, who are keen to invest in works that are skillfully produced by academically well-trained artists,” said Marcus Grey, Roseberys’ director of paintings.

“The market remains buoyant for 20th century paintings especially those of the post-impressionist and postwar schools, but we were also pleased with the response to the French and Belgian 19th century works featured in this sale, showing that well-crafted and sympathetically understood studies regardless of style hold well in the current market,” added Grey.

Another French artist whose work enjoyed healthy interest during the auction was Albert Marquet. The life-long friend of Henri Matisse, Marquet’s approach to the Fauvist style was more muted with a pastel color palette, complementing his favored naturalistic subject matters. His featured 1926 oil on canvas titled Le Lac de Tunis, which sold over estimate on the telephone to a European gallery for £9,225, is testament to his artistic expression.

Albert Marquet (French, 1875-1947), ‘Le Lac de Tunis,’ 1926, oil on canvas. Price realized:£15,990. Roseberys image
Albert Marquet (French, 1875-1947), ‘Le Lac de Tunis,’ 1926, oil on canvas. Price realized:£15,990. Roseberys image

Further French success came from the abstract painter Marcel Mouly, whose fauvist and the cubist-style works have been exhibited worldwide in multiple group and solo exhibitions. His oil on canvas (below) sold over estimate to a private European collector for £4,920.

Marcel Mouly oil on canvas. Price realized: £4,920. Roseberys image
Marcel Mouly oil on canvas. Price realized: £4,920. Roseberys image

The modern sculpture section of the auction saw keen interest for celebrated South African artist Sydney Alex K. Kumalo’s bronze sculpture titled Mythological Rider II (below), which sold to a private collector for £17,835.

‘Mythological Rider II’ bronze sculpture by South African artist Sydney Alex K Kumalo (1935-1988), 49 inches high. Price realized: £17,835. Roseberys image
‘Mythological Rider II’ bronze sculpture by South African artist Sydney Alex K Kumalo (1935-1988), 49 inches high. Price realized: £17,835. Roseberys image

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.