Born in 1841 and initially directed toward a career in medicine by his family, Frédéric Bazille could not resist the call of painting, his true vocation. In 1862, he moved to Paris and joined the studio of painter Charles Gleyre, where he met Monet and Renoir, with whom he would share a studio starting in 1865. He quickly became part of a group of emerging talents, including Degas, Sisley, Manet, Cézanne, and Pissarro. A great admirer of Delacroix, Bazille’s familiar silhouette appears in works like Monet’s Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, and he was frequently portrayed by his painter friends, including Renoir. Bazille painted himself in his studio in 1870 on rue de la Condamine, accompanied by Monet, Manet, Zola, and Renoir.

A brief star in the art world, he died at age 29 during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. His focus on contemporary life, light tones, and rejection of academic painting anticipated Impressionism. Despite his modern approach in form and subject, he valued the importance of line, striving to convey tangible reality rather than “only the appearance of things.”

In 2014, the Modern and Impressionist Paintings department was chosen to appraise and auction a remarkable work by the Impressionist master, Portrait d’un dragon. Thanks to the dedication and expertise of the team led by Charlotte Reynier-Aguttes, the painting sold for twice its low estimate, reaching €220,000 at auction.

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