Leighton
Fine Art
15th–20th Century Original Paintings
AUGUSTE GRASS - MICK
( 1873 - 1963 )
A winter’s afternoon settles over a snow-covered street on the edge of town, beneath a pale sky of golden ochre. Two young soldiers stroll arm in arm down the centre of the road, in the blue greatcoats and bright red trousers (the famous pantalon garance) of the French infantry of the 1890s. Behind them a lone figure trudges through the slush. At the right, a man in a long blue coat walks past a high wall, and a group gathers by a snow-capped advertising column beneath a bare tree. Tall, shuttered houses line the left side of the street, their roofs heavy with snow, and gas lamps punctuate the curving road as it disappears into the distance.
Grass-Mick was born in Marseille. He was still a teenager when he left for Paris, where he became part of the lively artistic world of Montmartre and a friend of Toulouse-Lautrec. Painted when the artist was only nineteen, this early work already shows his gift for capturing everyday street life. The confident, sketch-like handling, with fine hatched lines worked into the paint, gives the scene immediacy. The red trousers of the soldiers stand out vividly against the muted harmony of snow and stone, an evocative record of Belle Époque France.
Title: “Rue Dupleix"
Signature:Signed lower right and dated
Provenance: Private collection - Switzerland
Medium: Oil on board
Size: c. 7 x 9 inches unframed / 14 x 16 inches framed
Condition: Very good original condition
At the beginning of his career, Grass-Mick ran the Phare Littéraire et Artistique, and was in contact with Paul Verlaine, Antoine Bourdelle, Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas and particularly Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He produced drawings for other publications including: the Charivari and the Cri de Paris (a weekly magazine established in around 1896). Between 1897 and 1912 he settled in Montmartre, where he painted local scenes.
From 1902 to 1913 he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Humoristes. From 1912 he lived in Marseilles, where he was partly responsible for rediscovering Puget and the French painter, lithographer and sculptor Honoré Daumier. His lively work captured the Belle Époque artists of the Parisian scene, who were also known through the work of Toulouse-Lautrec; the styles of Toulouse and Grass-Mick are often similar. Simplifying forms and colours, focusing on the essential elements, Grass-Mick portrayed from life both famous people and characters from ordinary backgrounds. He also painted the portraits of Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Aristide Bruant, Georges Courteline, Jehan Rictus, Jacques Villon, Henri Matisse, Georges Pioch, Éric Satie, Georges Braque, Maurice Utrillo, Suzanne Valadon and Pablo Picasso. In addition to his paintings of scenes from Parisian life, Grass-Mick produced views of Montmartre and sensitive landscapes of Montes and St-Cloud.
Auction Records
Paris, 1 Dec 1970: Moulin de la Galette, FRF 8,000
Paris, 1 Feb 1971: Lautrec, Desjardin and Jeanne Avril at the Moulin Rouge, FRF 8,000
Paris, 10 Feb 1971: Night-Time in Paris at Bruant's (watercolour) FRF 4,500
Paris, 20 June 1973: The French Cancan (1902) FRF 28,000
Paris, 25 May 1976: Parisian Life (oil on canvas, 22 × 18 ins/55 × 46 cm) FRF 3,500
Nice, 19 Jan 1977: Montmartre at Six O'Clock in April (1906, oil on card, 6¾ × 9 ins/17 × 22 cm) FRF 1,300
Paris, 1 Dec 1980: Draughtsmen in the Café (1901, pen and wash highlighted with crayon and pastel/paper, 8¼ × 10¼ ins/21 × 26 cm) FRF 10,000
Enghien-les-Bains, 23 Sept 1984: Portrait of la Goulue (1903, oil on panel, 39¼ × 25½ ins/100 × 65 cm) FRF 13,800
La Varenne-St-Hilaire, 26 Oct 1986: View of the Parc de Belle Gabrielle in Montmartre (1910, oil on card, 25½ × 32 ins/65 × 81 cm) FRF 20,500
Versailles, 18 Dec 1988: Making-up (oil on card, 14½ × 18½ ins/37 × 47 cm) FRF 15,500
Paris, 21 Dec 1988: Moulin de la Galette (1902, pastel and gouache/mounted paper/panel, 11 × 9 ins/27 × 22 cm) FRF 10,000
Paris, 24 Jan 1990: Walking in the Parc d'Avignon (oil/hardboard, 12¾ × 9½ ins/32.5 × 24 cm) FRF 12,000
Paris, 4 Nov 1994: Moulin Rouge (1902, oil on card, 11¾ × 18 ins/30 × 46 cm) FRF 9,000
Calais, 23 March 1997: Marseilles, Window Overlooking the Old Port (oil on panel, 17¾ × 13 ins/45 × 33 cm) FRF 16,000
Paris, 19 Oct 1997: Verlaine on the Pont des Arts (1894, crayon/paper, 9¾ × 7 ins/25 × 18 cm) FRF 15,000
Paris, 3 Dec 1999: Place des Vosges (1912, oil on canvas) FRF 15,500
Neuilly, 14 Dec 1999: Entry into the Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, at Night (oil on paper laid on canvas, 11 × 14 ins/27 × 35 cm) FRF 13,500
Lucerne, 26 May 2001: Moulin Rouge, Paris (oil on paper laid on board, 14 × 20 ins/36 × 50 cm) CHF 5,400
Paris, 25 June 2001: Women Bathing and Dancer (oil on canvas, 32 × 46 ins/81 × 116 cm) FRF 11,000
Rennes, 2 June 2002: Bateau-lavoir on the Seine (1902, oil on panel, 9 × 13 ins/23 × 32 cm) EUR 1,800
Paris, 9 Dec 2002: Portrait of Cezanne (oil on card, 19 × 13 ins/49 × 32 cm) EUR 1,700
Paris, 22 Jan 2003: La nuit chez bruant (Indian ink, wash and watercolour, 8 × 11 ins/21 × 27 cm) EUR 1,600
Paris, 26 June 2003: Street with Figures in Menton (oil on board, 10 × 9 ins/26 × 24 cm) EUR 1,800
More Views
Buyer Information
Shipping & Insurance
All items are dispatched via DHL, fully tracked and with DHL’s basic insurance cover included. Postage and handling for each item are shown in the listing.
Payment
We accept PayPal, cheque, wire transfer and cash. We can offer instalment payments based on a 3 month payment period, subject to prior agreement.
Returns
All items can be returned to us for a full refund if not as we described them. This is the only reason a return can be requested.
Images
All photos are taken in a light tent using a Canon DSLR set on daylight settings.
Frames
Any frames photographed are provided with paintings free of charge and we make no warranty on their condition. Glass is not shipped with paintings due to risk of damage.
Certificate of Authenticity
A Certificate of Authenticity is available at a charge of £20 GBP per painting. Please request this directly with us & allow 3 days for origination.