Bernard Buffet

Private Collection, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in 1961)
Private Collection, Monaco (by descent from the above; sale: Christie's, Paris, 26th May 2004, lot 52)
Private Collection (sale: Christie's, New York, 5th May 2011, lot 424)
Private Collection, Europe
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Cent tableaux de 1944 à 1958 par Bernard Buffet, 1958, no. 105 

Pierre Berge, Bernard Buffet, Geneva, 1958, illustrated no. 164

The canvas is not lined and UV examination reveals no signs of retouching visible under UV light. There are a few spots of paint loss to the fish. This work is in overall very good condition.
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Exuding an undeniably powerful and brooding sense of presence, Rascasse is a highly significant example of Bernard Buffet’s early œuvre. The importance of the present work was recognised at the time with its inclusion in the very first retrospective of the artist’s paintings, Cent tableaux de 1944 a 1958 par Bernard Buffet, which took place at Galerie Charpentier (today the offices of Sotheby’s) in Paris in 1958. The paintings were displayed to dramatic effect against deep red fabric, with the largest part of the exhibition being devoted to Buffet’s still life subjects. The exhibition proved immensely popular, attracting around 100,000 people determined to see the works on show and revealing the esteem and affection in which Buffet was held by the French public.

Within the present work, a scorpion fish – a predatory species which stuns its prey with venom before devouring it – lies amongst the folds of a tablecloth prior to being gutted and prepared for cooking, serving as a commanding focus of the painting. Buffet delineates the otherwise empty background with rapid sweeps of the brush, whilst the thickly impastoed ripples of the cloth are highlighted with broad areas of gleaming white pigment. The curious perspective of the composition, in which the table seems to tip precipitately forward, effectively encourages the viewer to become part of the scene, becoming an unwitting participant within the tableau. Rascasse also arguably recalls the still lifes painted by seventeenth century Netherlandish painters such as Abraham van Beyeren and Pieter Claesz, and their corresponding Vanitas overtones. Ultimately, Rascasse represents a compelling and challenging creative and philosophical narrative, and can be seen as being a pivotal work from this period of the artist’s celebrated career.