Bernard Boutet de Monvel

Profiles, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Knoedler Galleries, New York, 10 - 29 novembre 1947, n°38, exposé avec son pendant, Portrait de profil de Mr Warren Pershing (n°37);
Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Barry Friedman Ltd Gallery, New York, 1er novembre 1994 - 7 janvier 1995, n°55

Stéphane-Jacques Addade, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Paris, 2016, reproduit p. 298

The paintings sits on its original canvas. The canvas was previously folded on the upper part and on the right of the composition, which shows that the composition was smaller before (visible on the photograph in the catalogue). Traces of compass and of the pencil are visible, which is characteristic of the artist's technique, especially in the greenery and on the model's shoulder. Under UV light, small retouches are visible along the folding previously mentionned, in the upper part of the composition. Very good condition.
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En 1938, Muriel Bache Richards (1914 - 1978) épousa Francis Warren Pershing (1909-1980), fils unique du fameux général "Black Jack" Pershing. Un an plus tard en 1939, ils commandent à Bernard Boutet de Monvel leurs portraits : Muriel Pershing, de profil sur fond de jardin d’inspiration orientale, dans lequel court un magnolia (inspiré d’un jardin de Fez peint en 1918) ; Mr. Francis W. Pershing, devant un paysage de Wall Street (portrait inachevé ; conservé au musée de la coopération franco américaine, Blérancourt). Voir le lot 245 pour un dessin préparatoire (illustré ci-contre).

Il est amusant de noter que la photographe contemporaine Cindy Sherman, qui pourrait avoir vu le portrait lors de l’exposition de New York en 1994-1995, semble s'en être inspirée pour la création de Untitled #465 (cf. Stéphane-Jacques Addade, op. cit. p. 22).

Boutet de Monvel executed Mr. and Mrs. Pershing's portraits in 1938. Mrs. Pershing (née Muriel Bache Richards) was married to Francis Warren Pershing, the only son of General “Black Jack” Pershing. See lot 245 for a preparatory drawing (illustrated hereby). Cindy Sherman may have been inspired by it for her work Untitled #465 (cf. Stéphane-Jacques Addade, op. cit. p. 22).