On June 7, 1945, Rafales, a newspaper in Algiers, enthusiastically reports on the exhibition that the Minaret Gallery dedicates to André Lhote, 'artist painter and aesthetician'.

Indeed, it showcases the full range of the talent of the painter, born in Bordeaux, by presenting a selection of landscapes, figures, and still lifes that "attestent la maîtrise de ce grand coloriste, qui est à l’avant-garde de la peinture actuelle". The critic, Jacques Belgrand, chooses to dwell at length on his landscapes, "où il excelle".

Among these, our canvas depicting Mirmande, a picturesque village in the Drôme where Lhote organized summer workshops for his students in the house he acquired in 1926, likely featured prominently. The author of the article notably emphasizes the paintings that the artist dedicates to this city "qui s’étage sur une colline d’où l’on domine la vallée du Rhône". He praises its "maisons en ruine, parfois sans toiture, de beaux arbres et des champs polychromes […], motifs très picturaux pour un peintre qui fut très influencé par le cubisme et en a conservé, très atténuées, il est vrai, certaines des formules".

Our painting, created around 1938, brings together all the ingredients that made the success of the exhibition in Algiers at the Minaret with its vibrant palette filled with iridescent tones, its cubist trees with incandescent foliage, and the facades of its houses, arranged like tesserae of a mosaic patiently composed by an André Lhote, then at the peak of his art.

This artwork will be featured in our upcoming Impressionist & Modern Art auction on June 12th.

ANDRÉ LHOTE (1885-1962)
Paysage cubiste de Mirmande, vers 1938
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left
46 x 38 cm

Madame Dominique Bermann-Martin has confirmed the authenticity of this work.

Provenance
- Galerie du Minaret, Alger
- Collection particulière, France (acquis auprès de cette dernière puis par descendance)

Next Impressionist & Modern Art auction
Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 2:30 PM

Upcoming Impressionist & Modern Art auction in preparation
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 3PM

For any further information or to include a lot in our upcoming auctions, please contact:
Pierre-Alban Vinquant
+33 (0)1 47 45 08 20 - vinquant@aguttes.com