Art canadien classique
Maurice Utrillo
1883-1955
Le Café de la Place de Pommiers (Rhône), 1934
Oil on canvas
20 x 25 1/2 in
50.8 x 64.8 cm
This work is included in the Maurice Utrillo Catalogue raisonné, L'Œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo compiled by Paul Pétridès, Vol. V, no. 2761.
50.8 x 64.8 cm
This work is included in the Maurice Utrillo Catalogue raisonné, L'Œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo compiled by Paul Pétridès, Vol. V, no. 2761.
USD 110,000
Inscriptions
Dedicated, signed and dated, 'À Madame Marie-Jeanne Laforêt, amicalement, / Maurice Utrillo, V, / 1934 (lower left); inscribed, 'Impérissable / Pommiers (Rhône)' (lower right)Provenance
Galerie de l’Ile-de-France, Paris
Walter Klinkhoff Gallery Inc., Montreal
A Prominent Montreal collection, Montreal
By descent to the present private collection, Westmount, Quebec
Documentation
Paul Pétridès, L'Œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo (Paris: Paul Pétridès, 1974), Vol. V, no. 2761, 259 [reproduced]
Painted in 1934, Le Café de la Place, Pommiers (Rhône) belongs to Maurice Utrillo's mature period, when his attention increasingly turned from the streets of Montmartre to the quiet villages and provincial towns of France. Situated just north of Lyon in the Rhône department, Pommiers is a historic village in the heart of the Beaujolais region, celebrated for its distinctive golden-stone architecture, centuries-old vineyards, and remarkably preserved village centre. Its tranquil streets and traditional cafés made it an ideal subject for Utrillo.
From the 1960s and continuing for some 30 years Walter Klinkhoff travelled to London, Paris and New York City, looking to purchase fine paintings of international art market interest to offer to art collectors to complement the collections of Canadian art. Utrillo was a favourite. Others include Eugene Boudin, Raoul Dufy, Suzanne Valadon, Marie Laurencin, Henri LeSidaner, Albert Marquet, Louis Valtat and Henri Martin. This Utrillo was purchased by Mr Klinkhoff in December of 1971 and sold to a prominent Montreal based collector in January of 1972. It has remained in the same family until now.
The composition is centred on the Café de la Place, the social heart of the village, where generations of residents gathered to meet, converse, and observe the rhythms of daily life. Dominating the square is the imposing whitewashed building, its broad façade enlivened by weathered terracotta roof tiles, soft green shutters, and confident, expressive brushwork. The brilliant blue sky and luminous clouds provide a vibrant counterpoint to the restrained palette of whites, ochres, and greens, while the broad, sunlit square is animated by only a handful of figures.
Characteristically, Utrillo was less concerned with recording a place exactly as it appeared than with capturing its atmosphere. Simplifying architectural forms into harmonious geometric masses, he transformed an ordinary village square into a poetic meditation on rural France. The quiet dignity of the architecture, the warmth of the southern light, and the unhurried pace of village life combine to create a composition imbued with nostalgia, permanence, and enduring charm.
From the 1960s and continuing for some 30 years Walter Klinkhoff travelled to London, Paris and New York City, looking to purchase fine paintings of international art market interest to offer to art collectors to complement the collections of Canadian art. Utrillo was a favourite. Others include Eugene Boudin, Raoul Dufy, Suzanne Valadon, Marie Laurencin, Henri LeSidaner, Albert Marquet, Louis Valtat and Henri Martin. This Utrillo was purchased by Mr Klinkhoff in December of 1971 and sold to a prominent Montreal based collector in January of 1972. It has remained in the same family until now.
The composition is centred on the Café de la Place, the social heart of the village, where generations of residents gathered to meet, converse, and observe the rhythms of daily life. Dominating the square is the imposing whitewashed building, its broad façade enlivened by weathered terracotta roof tiles, soft green shutters, and confident, expressive brushwork. The brilliant blue sky and luminous clouds provide a vibrant counterpoint to the restrained palette of whites, ochres, and greens, while the broad, sunlit square is animated by only a handful of figures.
Characteristically, Utrillo was less concerned with recording a place exactly as it appeared than with capturing its atmosphere. Simplifying architectural forms into harmonious geometric masses, he transformed an ordinary village square into a poetic meditation on rural France. The quiet dignity of the architecture, the warmth of the southern light, and the unhurried pace of village life combine to create a composition imbued with nostalgia, permanence, and enduring charm.
1
sur 172