518.
Maurice Utrillo (French, 1883-1955)Impasse trainee sous la neige à Montmartre
Signed “Maurice, Utrillo, V” l.r., inscribed “-Montmartre,-” l.l., inscribed “...24-7-44” in red chalk with indistinct stamps and a
label from Louis Vallet, Orleans, France, on the reverse.
Oil on paperboard, 21 x 26 in. (53.3 x 66.1 cm), framed.
Condition: Surface grime, subtle craquelure.Provenance: A private Massachusetts estate.N.B. Utrillo first began creating art at the age of nineteen, while hospitalized at Sainte Anne Asylum, a municipal hospital for
mental and nervous disorders.^1 He was persuaded by his mother, artist-muse Suzanne Valadon, to take up painting and
drawing as a diversion from heavy drinking. Utrillo began painting intensely, producing 150 works between the autumn of
1903 and winter of 1904.^2 Despite his personal struggles, he continued to work prolifically throughout his career, painting
street scenes of Paris, particularly the bohemian Montmartre district. Utrillo’s work is characterized by a noticeable degree
of impasto and vibrant colors, and at its best, displays a naïve vision with exacting detail.We wish to thank L’Association Maurice Utrillo for their kind assistance with cataloguing the lot. The work is no. 5391 with
L’Association Maurice Utrillo, and a photo-certificate from Jean Fabris accompanies the lot.- “Art: Utrillo v. Tate.,” Time Magazine, January 18, 1937, http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,770501,00.html#
- Colette Giraudon, “Utrillo, Maurice,” In Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/
article/grove/art/T087476
$100,000-150,000
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