Rachel BAES (1912–1983) - Lot 54

Lot n° 54
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 7 200EUR
Rachel BAES (1912–1983) - Lot 54
Rachel BAES (1912–1983) The Attic, 1944 Oil on canvas Signed "Rachel Baes" upper right, countersigned and titled on the reverse 53 x 65 cm Framed (Scattered chips, scratches in the lower right, a small perforation in the center) This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné currently being compiled by Marie Godet, Ph.D. in art history, whom we warmly thank for her research. PROVENANCE Collection of Paul Éluard Le Grenier is referenced in Rachel Baes’s notebook, in which she notes that she gave this painting to Paul Éluard in 1945; he remained the owner of the work until his death in 1952. ARTIST NOTES A Belgian Surrealist painter and son of the artist Émile Baes, she was initially influenced by Flemish Expressionism. She began exhibiting in Paris in 1929 at the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon des Surindépendants, then met Paul Éluard in 1945, who wrote the preface to one of her exhibitions. She began to take an interest in Surrealism; during those years, she met Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Paul Léautaud, and Jean Cocteau, who titled the work we are presenting for sale. In 1947, René Magritte painted her portrait titled Scheherazade, now on display at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. With the support of André Breton, Marcel Lecomte, and Paul Colinet, Louis Scutenaire and Irène Hamoir commented on her painting during her exhibitions. She settled permanently in Bruges in 1961 and continued to exhibit regularly in Brussels and Antwerp. Xavier Canonne, the curator, describes Rachel Baes’s painting as “(...) quite intense. She painted with a palette knife using highly contrasting colors. You can feel her passion for painting!” Considered one of the most important female representatives of Surrealism, Rachel Baes embodies a duality characteristic of the “Surrealist woman,” serving as both muse and creator. By the mid-1940s, known and recognized by Surrealists in both Brussels and Paris, it was in this capacity that her work was displayed in several private galleries in both capitals. THIS LOT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE DROUOT STORAGE FACILITY AFTER THE SALE; IT WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETURN. Please refer to the auction house’s terms and conditions regarding lot pickup before bidding.
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