PARIS.- On Thursday April 6 at the Hôtel Drouot, in Paris,
Art Valorem will hold the sale of the collection of Christine Poirot-Delpech, collaborator and assistant at the Galerie Maurice Garnier between 1972 and 2002. The work of French artist Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) is at the center of her exceptional collection. This unique ensemble brings together twenty-five major works by the artist, including paintings made between 1949 and 1990, but also a selection of lithographs and albums featuring his recurring and most sought-after themes.
Bernard Buffet, an expressionist painter, is today considered as the greatest representative of modern French figuration and one of the most famous post-war artists. A painting genius at the age of 16, his unique and assertive style quickly propelled him to the forefront of the art scene. In 1948, during his first exhibition, Buffet made his first sale to the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
It was at this time that he signed an exclusive contract with Emmanuel David, which was shared with Maurice Garnier who remained his gallery representative for more than half a century. This unwavering loyalty and admi- ration inspired Maurice Garnier and his team dedicate themselves to expanding the impact of Bernard Buffet’s work on the art world. My life is the gallery, it is Bernard’s painting. --Maurice Garnier.
Daughter of the painter Madeleine Kula called Luka (1894-1989) and the first wife of the writer and academician Bertrand Poirot-Delpech, she trained her eye very early on and built this collection with good taste and sense, choosing strong and emblematic pieces. She has thus collected different subjects that the painter approached during his career: bouquets, still lifes, monumental figures, self-portraits, landscapes, etc.
Among the most remarkable are a Tête d’écorché de face from the series of the same name dating to 1964, a portrait of Torero from 1963 and Les Folles, femmes à l’éventail from 1970. These oils are complemented by a beautiful set of engraved works. The albums Toreros (1966), Carmen (1967), Mon Cirque (1968), Jeux de dames (1970), L’Enfer de Dante (1976), La Révolution française (1977), Venise (1986), Don Quichotte (1989) are also included.
This Bernard Buffet ensemble, the «high point» of the sale, is accompanied by paintings by artists represented by the Galerie Maurice Garnier: Antoni CLAVÉ (1913-2005), Jean FAUTRIER (1898-1964) and Jean JANSEM (1920-2013). A lamp by Alberto GIACOMETTI (1901-1966) Modèle Étoile closes out this remarkable collection. Christine Poirot-Delpech’s collection, exceptional for its provenance and the quality of the works, which have never appeared at auction, will be dispersed on Thursday 6 April 2023 at the Hôtel Drouot.
Bernard Buffet’s success was dazzling, both in France and abroad. Very quickly noticed by foreign collectors, he exhibited all over the world: Venice, Berlin, New York and in Japan, where his style of blacklines resonates with Japanese prints.
A painter of series, he explores his subjects through different media. His geometric style is recognizable among all. Hard, sharp lines, dark atmosphere, melancholic characters, empty landscapes. Bernard Buffet transcends miserabilism by depicting the horrors of war, mythology, bullfighting, the circus ... A universe sometimes disturbing but always striking, signature of the artist. Christine Poirot-Delpech (1933-2022) worked for thirty years alongside Maurice Garnier. She participated in the promotion of the artists represented by the gallery, before concentrating solely on the career of Bernard Buffet. During these years, she established a privileged relationship with Bernard Buffet and his wife Annabel
