Bernard Boutet de Monvel

In preparation for a solo show at Knoedler, New York, titled Profiles and scheduled for November 10 - 29, 1947, Boutet de Monvel painted in 1944 several profile portraits of his daughter, Sylvie, playing with her dog, seated in her bed. The present work depicts Sylvie in her bedroom situated in the family's elegant Paris hôtel, whereas the painting he chose for the exhibition, shows Sylvie in their Nemours residence. 

The delicately executed composition juxtaposes a rigorous geometrical construction (the bed canopy, the perfectly aligned polka dots of the curtains, and the footboard) to the soft curves of the flounces and the burlwood bedside table. The spare background with a limited color palette is a perfect foundation against which Sylvie's colorful and carefully modelled figure punctuates the almost monochromatic composition.

A fascination with geometry, simplicity and stylization characterizes his art and demonstrate his ties with the Art Déco world and its primary figures. Bernard Boutet de Monvel’s style and personality, along with his French elegance and charm, won over the Americans who would eventually crown him 'the handsomest man in Europe'! His notoriety in the United States was widespread from the 1920s onwards, with exhibitions and retrospectives all bearing witness to his tremendous talent.