LA SEINE A NEUILLY
signed, dated and titled JOHN RUSSELL 04. SEINE A NEUILLY lower right
watercolour over pencil on paper
22.5 x 30.5cm; 8 3/4 x 12in
47 x 54.5cm; 18 1/2 x 21 1/2in (framed)
Provenance
Sale, Aponem Auctions, Paris, Mobilier, Objets d'Art, Tableaux, Bijoux, Armes, 12 March 2011, lot 139
Purchased from the above by the present owner
The present lot is a view of the Pont de Neuilly that spans the Seine to the north-east of Paris and connects the neighbourhood of Neuilly to La Défense. Painted sparingly with ultramarine blues and delicate shades of violet, the artist combines topographical accuracy with an Impressionist palette to capture the shifting light as the day draws to a close.
Born in Sydney, Russell emigrated to London in 1880 where he studied at the Slade School of Art before moving to Paris. In France he witnessed at first hand the development of Impressionism, befriending a number of leading artists of the day, including Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and Claude Monet (1840-1926), and viewing exhibitions hosted by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and at the gallery of Paul Durand-Ruel.
Working in the studio of the Fernand Cormon, 1845-1924 (see lot 23), Russell befriended Vincent van Gogh, resulting in the artist's first ever portrait executed by Russell in 1886, now in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. The two artists remained close and corresponded right up until Van Gogh’s death in 1890. Although strikingly different personalities, they perhaps shared the same self-doubt in terms of artistic acumen: Russell was notoriously shy about exhibiting his work and his comfortable financial position exempted him from having to expose himself to criticism.
Russell eventually returned to Sydney in 1920 where he died in relative obscurity. His cousin, Australian artist Thea Proctor, did much to posthumously promote Russell's art and by the late twentieth century, a number of biographies and exhibitions had helped restore his reputation as a significant artist. Today, Russell's works are held in major galleries in his Australia and across Europe, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Sold for £5,000
LA SEINE A NEUILLY
signed, dated and titled JOHN RUSSELL 04. SEINE A NEUILLY lower right
watercolour over pencil on paper
22.5 x 30.5cm; 8 3/4 x 12in
47 x 54.5cm; 18 1/2 x 21 1/2in (framed)
Provenance
Sale, Aponem Auctions, Paris, Mobilier, Objets d'Art, Tableaux, Bijoux, Armes, 12 March 2011, lot 139
Purchased from the above by the present owner
The present lot is a view of the Pont de Neuilly that spans the Seine to the north-east of Paris and connects the neighbourhood of Neuilly to La Défense. Painted sparingly with ultramarine blues and delicate shades of violet, the artist combines topographical accuracy with an Impressionist palette to capture the shifting light as the day draws to a close.
Born in Sydney, Russell emigrated to London in 1880 where he studied at the Slade School of Art before moving to Paris. In France he witnessed at first hand the development of Impressionism, befriending a number of leading artists of the day, including Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and Claude Monet (1840-1926), and viewing exhibitions hosted by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and at the gallery of Paul Durand-Ruel.
Working in the studio of the Fernand Cormon, 1845-1924 (see lot 23), Russell befriended Vincent van Gogh, resulting in the artist's first ever portrait executed by Russell in 1886, now in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. The two artists remained close and corresponded right up until Van Gogh’s death in 1890. Although strikingly different personalities, they perhaps shared the same self-doubt in terms of artistic acumen: Russell was notoriously shy about exhibiting his work and his comfortable financial position exempted him from having to expose himself to criticism.
Russell eventually returned to Sydney in 1920 where he died in relative obscurity. His cousin, Australian artist Thea Proctor, did much to posthumously promote Russell's art and by the late twentieth century, a number of biographies and exhibitions had helped restore his reputation as a significant artist. Today, Russell's works are held in major galleries in his Australia and across Europe, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Auction: Fine Paintings & Works on Paper, 11th Dec, 2024
Auction Location: London, UK
Our sale of Fine Paintings and Works on Paper features 80 lots spanning four centuries. It includes works from two significant deceased estates: art dealer Alexander Iolas who promoted the bright and playful works by Jean Hugo and Niki de Sainte Phalle (lots 44-52), and gallerist Karsten Schubert, led by a green revolver on a vibrant red background by Michael Craig-Martin (lot 53), currently the subject of a retrospective at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly.
Colour dominates many of the post-War works. A stripe painting by the leading Washington Colour Field artist Gene Davis is a sale highlight. Davis worked alongside Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland also from D.C. in the 1950s and ‘60s perfecting his distinctive style. 65-6 by Davis (lot 58) dances and rhymes before the viewer’s eye. From the same collection and similarly optical are the works by Joe Tilson (lot 60) from 1965, and a rare painting by Justin Knowles (lot 59). Fellow colourist Howard Hodgkin is represented by Here we are in Croydon from 1979 (lot 63).
Modern British is led by an attractive group of watercolours by John Nash (lots 34-37), all acquired from the artist by the present owner’s grandfather. Other British figurative painters featured in the sale include Alan Lowdnes with a street scene in Altrincham near Manchester (lot 40), and three sketches by the young Michael Andrews (lots 41-43). Elsewhere there are works by John Piper and humorous illustrations by graphic artists Ronald Searle and Quentin Blake (lots 71 & 72).
Artists from further afield include two 18th/ 19th century Cuzco paintings from Peru and good Australian examples: a watercolour by John Russell of the Pont de Neuilly, and an atmospheric painting of a dust storm in the New South Wales out back by John Charles Goodhart of 1907 capturing a storm that year (lots 31 & 38). ‘en plein-air’-ists in the sale include Otto Modersohn, co-founder of Worpswede school in Bavaria in the 1890s (lot 19) and three delightful paintings of children by Scottish painter Gemmel Hutchison, influenced by Barbizon in France and the Hague School in Holland (lots 27, 28 & 30).
For more information please contact us | pictures@olympiaauctions.com | +44 (0)20 7806 5541
Viewing
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 8th December: 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Monday 9th December: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Tuesday 10th December: 10:00am to 5:00pm