Pierre-Auguste RENOIR (Limoges, 1841 – Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1919) - Lot 691

Lot n° 691
Go to lot
Estimation :
12000 - 24000 EUR
Result without fees
Result : 12 500EUR
Pierre-Auguste RENOIR (Limoges, 1841 – Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1919) - Lot 691
Pierre-Auguste RENOIR (Limoges, 1841 – Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1919) and Richard GUINO (Girona, 1890 – Antony, 1973) Madame Renoir or Bust of Madame Renoir, 1916. Bronze with a dark brown patina. Signed “Renoir” on the back and monogrammed “RG.” Numbered 1/8. Inscribed on the back: “© 1983 Guino-Renoir 1916 / Susse Frères Paris 1990.” H 58 cm x W 59 cm x D 38 cm. Included is a lacquered wooden column imitating black marble (H 125 cm). Bibliography: - G. Aral, “Renoir-Guino: Duo-duel,” in the exhibition catalog *Renoir and the Familiar Figures of Les Collettes* (ed. V. Journiac), Cagnes-sur-Mer, Renoir Museum, June 28–September 8, 2008, Vence, Trulli, 2008, pp. 96–105. - V. Journiac, *Le Dernier Renoir: les années azuréennes*, Nice, Les Éditions de Nicéphore, 2013, “The Sculpted Work” by G. Aral, pp. 59–71. - P. Picard; A. Le Normand-Romain (eds.), Guino-Renoir. The Color of Sculpture, exhibition catalog for Perpignan, Hyacinthe Rigaud Art Museum, June 24–November 5, 2023, Milan, Silvana Editoriale, 2023, p. 139, ill. no. 88. With the assistance of Ms. Adélaïde Paul-Dubois-Taine, our entry updates the information provided in the description of this catalog entry: the monogram consisting of two intertwined letters is “RG” for Richard Guino (not “GR”); the copyright year on the back is 1983 (not 1988): “© 1983 Guino-Renoir 1916 (not 1816) / Susse Frères Paris 1990.” Provenance: - Private collection, Dourdan. Created during the summer of 1916, this bust of Madame Renoir is one of the most personal examples of the collaboration between Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Richard Guino. Unlike the sculptures created under the contract between Renoir and the art dealer Ambroise Vollard, this work was a private commission placed directly by the painter with the young Catalan sculptor. In June 1916, Guino had just completed the entire extensive “Judgment of Paris” series commissioned by Vollard—including the Victorious Venus, the Bust of Paris, and the reliefs on the base—when, on July 23, 1916, he received a letter from Renoir inviting him to join him in Essoyes as soon as possible: “Would you please come to Essoyes to see me as soon as possible? I have a study depicting my wife seated. I would like you to create a clay bust based on this painting.” The project stemmed from a deeply personal desire. Renoir wished to create a monument for the grave of his wife, Aline Charigot, who had passed away the previous year. To this end, he asked Guino to translate into sculpture his famous 1885 portrait of Aline wearing a hat adorned with flowers. Intended solely for the family’s use, the bust was not included in the contract signed with Vollard; Guino was therefore paid directly by Renoir, notably through the exchange of a still life by the painter. The Bust of Madame Renoir was subsequently cast in plaster several times, and several copies are documented today. One is located at Durand-Ruel; another belongs to Jean Renoir in the United States; a third was presented at the Renoir-Guino exhibition in Busto Arsizio in 1997; a fourth was presented at the exhibition in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 2008; a fifth, from the former collection of Paul Renoir (formerly the Rima Fine Art Gallery collection); and finally, a sixth copy, with a bronze-colored patina, exhibited by the Galerie Martin du Louvre at the Salon des Antiquaires in Antibes in 2012. The model also inspired several versions in other materials. A remarkable cast in hydraulic lime mortar and sand, polychromed a fresco, was acquired by the French government in 1955 from Maurice Renou and is now housed at the Musée d’Orsay. A terracotta version was donated to the Renoir Museum in 1967 by Claude Renoir. Regarding the bronze editions, four casting campaigns are known: an initial run of six copies produced by Rudier before 1952; an edition of twenty copies by Valsuani in the 1950s; a second edition by Valsuani of eight copies, accompanied by four artist’s proofs, produced before 1977; and finally, an edition by Susse, beginning in 1983, consisting of eight copies, four artist’s proofs, and two proofs not for sale. Due to its intimate origins, its direct connection to Renoir’s mourning, and the handwritten correspondence that precisely traces its genesis, the bust of Madame Renoir occupies a truly unique place within the sculptural oeuvre created by the Renoir-Guino duo. It illustrates a moment when sculpture moved beyond the realm of commercial commissions to become the expression of a deeply personal tribute, making this effigy one of the most moving creations to emerge from their collaboration. Virginie JOURNIAC, Certified Expert with CECOA, FNEPSA, and CEDEA
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue