Henri LE SIDANER (1862-1939) - Lot 11

Henri LE SIDANER (1862-1939) The Houses and Bell Tower of Le Croisic Enhanced drawing on paper, executed in May-June 1923. Dimensions: 19.2 x 17.2 cm Dimensions with frame : 33 x 30 cm In the aftermath of the Great War, Le Sidaner was one of the big winners when the Salons reopened. Four years of retirement, spent painting the alleys of Trianon deserted by the gardeners, gave him time to brush up his skills. His tables in the garden of Gerberoy, his impressions of Versailles, Villefranche-sur-Mer or the Brittany of his ancestors, were extraordinarily successful, particularly with the American public. In May 1923, the artist stopped off at Le Croisic and took up residence at the Hôtel Masson on the port, to carry out some preparatory studies for his paintings. I work a lot here," he writes to his friend Henri Duhem, "and I feel tired more quickly, alas, than in the past, but youth does not return. The country is very pretty and I'm lucky to have good weather." A few days later, he writes again: "You must have received my letter from Le Croisic. I've been working there on studies for canvases that I'm starting right away. The air in Le Croisic is delicious, invigorating and iodized, and the hotel is excellent. I had a room overlooking the harbor, with the movement of the waves and the sea in the distance. The precious backdrop of granite houses and the shape of the three islets that serve as shelters for fishing boats inspired him to create six motifs bathed in the last light of spring, in which he gives of his best. Les Maisons et le clocher served as a study for a canvas that the artist delivered to his dealer Georges Petit in December 1923. It was acquired by the Société des Amis for the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève. The preparatory drawing is one of the very few surviving sheets from his stay in Le Croisic, most of which were burned by the occupying forces in Gerberoy for heating during the last war. Provenance : Private collection This work will appear in the supplement to the Catalogue Raisonné, Le Sidaner-L'œuvre peint et gravé, in preparation by Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner. Lots will be available for collection by appointment on Wednesday March 5, 2025 at Paris XVe (Metro: Sevres-Lecourbe, or Pasteur).