ZURICH.- Among the stand-out features of Sotheby’s upcoming December sale of Swiss Art is a remarkable group of rare works by Félix Vallotton, which encompass the wide-ranging talent and diversity of this hugely important Swiss artist.

PAINTING
· A small-scale oil painting by Vallotton, Femme nue étendue dans l’herbe, 1893/4 is a perfect illustration of the central role played by the artist in the Parisian avant-garde movement known as the “Nabis”. Also of great interest in this work is the use of pointillism – a painting technique rarely seen in Vallotton’s work (Lot 19, Est. CHF 100,000 – 150,000 / € 91,000 – 137,000).

THE “PAYSAGE COMPOSÉ”
· During summers spent in the village of Honfleur, in Normandy, Vallotton favoured a technique known as “paysage composé” - and this feature is characteristic of the most sought-after pieces by the artist. The painter drew sketches or brief impressions, often stopping during bicycle trips do so, and completed the process in the quiet of his workshop. As a result, he was able to create iconic landscapes. In Cour de ferme, 1910, a stunning “paysage composé”, the thatched rooves cast heavy shadows; in turn the green of the grass is reflected on their surface (Lot 23, Est. CHF 300,000 – 500,000 / € 273,000 – 455,000).

STILL-LIFE PAINTING
· Vallotton is well-known for his use of unconventional composition and his attention to detail and these methods can create stunning results in still-life painting. The December sale will include Groseilles et capucines, 1919, a perfect example of the painter’s unique approach (Lot 40, Est. CHF 150,000 – 200,000 / € 137,000 – 182,000).

THE NUDE
· A further important and rare work by Félix Vallotton which will be presented this autumn is a male nude, Torse d’homme nu, 1906. The painting is the only known portrait by the artist which focuses solely on a male subject (Lot 56, Est. CHF 40,000 – 60,000 / € 36,400 – 55,000).

SCULPTURE IN BRONZE
· Vallotton only completed a handful of bronze sculptures during his lifetime – it’s thought no more than four – and so it is an honour for Sotheby’s to present Jeune mère (Maternité), 1904, a moving example of the artist’s enormous talent as a sculptor. A new discovery for Marina Ducrey, the most well-respected specialist of Vallotton’s oeuvre, until now this sculpture was only known thanks to photographic archives: experts had not been aware of its location (Lot 61, Est. CHF 30,000 – 40,000 / € 27,300 – 36,400).

ENGRAVINGS
· A renowned figure in the field of illustration, Vallotton is without a doubt one of the most important of Switzerland’s engravers. His inimitable style will make an appearance in the upcoming sale thanks to a wonderful group of six engravings, illustrating scenes of daily life in Paris, where Vallotton was very active in the early part of the 20th century (Lot 85, Est. CHF 6,000 – 8,000 / € 5,500 – 7,300).

FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

19th-Century Painting
Sotheby’s autumn sale in Zurich will offer a selection of significant 19th-century works, led by a large-scale painting by François Bocion: a majestic work both in terms of its scale and its composition. In this beautiful and detailed landscape of Lake Geneva, painted from the shores of the canton of Vaud near Rivaz, the influence of great English landscape artists such as Constable is evident. Bocion captures the subtle changes in the atmosphere and light – in this case the early morning – and places great emphasis on the sky. The composition also features a large number of the stylistic elements for which Bocion is well-known, including lake birds in flight, fishing boats and lateen sailboats (Lot 10, Est. CHF 160,000 – 180,000 / € 146,000 – 164,000).

A key figure in 19th-century Swiss painting, Albert Anker will be in the spotlight on December 1st thanks to an extraordinary oil portrait and an exquisite drawing, Geschwisterliebe, which is a wonderflly finished work, in contrast with most drawings produced by the artist, which he rarely developed beyond sketches or the preparatory stage. Both this work and a superb oil portrait of a young girl, Mädchenbildnis, reflect recurring themes for the artist: scenes of everyday life, family and childhood. The two examples present a captivating testament to Anker’s masterful hand and his ability to breathe life and emotion into his work (Lot 7, Est. CHF 100,000 – 150,000 / € 91,000 – 137,000 and Lot 8, Est. CHF 250,000 – 350,000 / € 228,000 – 319,000).

The “École de Savièse”
The sale will offer a very fine ensemble of works from the “École de Savièse”, featuring works from the artistic movement’s main representatives. In addition to a landscape by the movement’s leader, Ernest Biéler, the sale will also showcase a splendid and significant painting by Raphy Dallève, a fellow artist in the “École de Savièse”. In this powerful portrait of a woman from the canton of Valais, wearing traditional dress, the subject is placed at the centre of the painting in the foreground, set against a pared-back interior as is customary for the best-known works of this movement. Thus Dallève employs the unusual perspective so well-known among this group of artists (Lot 31, Est. CHF 30,000 – 40,000 / € 27,300 – 36,400).

The selection is completed by two beautiful portraits by Charles-Clos Olsommer of Valais women dressed in traditional garb (Lots 28 and 29).

Symbolism in Switzerland
Symbolism played a crucial role in the work of some of Switzerland’s greatest painters, among them Ferdinand Hodler, Cuno Amiet and Giovanni Giacometti. Of note in the upcoming sale is a work by Amiet, Das Paradies. The piece is a preparatory drawing for the mural painting which adorns the building housing the Federal Court in Lausanne. For the first time, Amiet prominently depicts the Tree of Knowledge – an element which would later become a recurring motif in his work (Lot 20, Est. CHF 250,000 – 350,000 / € 228,000 – 319,000).

Furthermore the sale will offer a stunning painting by one of Switzerland’s foremost proponents of post-impressionism, Giovanni Giacometti. Sommermorgen / Mattino d’estate, 1917 is among the rare family portraits by the artist and features a wonderful example of a recurring motif for the painter and his fellow post-impressionists: the depiction of interior spaces opening up to the outside world (Lot 32, Est. CHF 180,000 – 250,000 / € 164,000 – 228,000).

Finally, Swiss master Ferdinand Hodler will be represented by a very fine oil painting from 1894 which echoes the symbolist works produced by the artist during this period. The woman dressed in blue in Was die Blumen sagen, 1894 brings to mind a female figure from the artist’s key work, Der Auserwählte, 1893/4, which takes its place in the Gottfried-Keller Foundation at Bern’s Kunstmuseum (Lot 15, Est. CHF 120,000 – 180,000 / € 110,000 – 164,000).

Modern Section
The modern section of the December sale will include works by seminal Swiss artists including Niki de Saint-Phalle, Jean Tinguely and Martin Disler. Among them, a striking sculpture created by Tinguely in 1987: Ecolo (Lot 89, Est. CHF 80,000 – 100,000 / € 73,000 – 91,000).