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

Lot 691
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12000 - 24000 EUR
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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 “GR.” Numbered 1/8. Inscribed on the back: “© 1988 Guino-Renoir 1816 / Susse Frères Paris 1990.” H 58 cm x W 59 cm x D 38 cm. Includes a lacquered wooden column imitating black marble (H 125 cm). Bibliography: - G. Aral, “Renoir-Guino: Duo-duel,” in the exhibition catalog *Renoir and the Friends of Les Collettes* (ed. V. Journiac), Cagnes-sur-Mer, Musée Renoir, 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, “L’œuvre sculpté” by G. Aral, pp. 59–71. - P. Picard; A. Le Normand-Romain (eds.), Guino-Renoir: The Color of Sculpture, exhibition catalog, Perpignan, Hyacinthe Rigaud Art Museum, June 24–November 5, 2023, Milan, Silvana Editoriale, 2023, p. 139, ill. no. 88. Provenance: - Guino Estate, 1990. Appraiser: Virginie JOURNIAC, CECOA, FNEPSA, and CEDEA-certified appraiser 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, the reliefs on the pedestal, and the six medallions—when, on July 23, 1916, he received a letter from Renoir inviting him to join him as soon as possible in Essoyes: “Would you come as soon as possible to meet me in Essoyes? 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 flowered hat. Intended solely for the family’s use, the bust was not part of the contract signed with Vollard; Guino was therefore paid directly by Renoir, notably through the exchange of a still life by the painter. Around the same time, Guino also began work on a *Maternité* inspired by an 1886 painting by Renoir depicting Aline nursing their son Pierre. This project, however, remained unfinished. 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: a first edition of six copies produced by Rudier before 1952; an edition of twenty copies by Valsuani in the 1950s; a second Valsuani edition of eight copies, accompanied by four artist’s proofs, produced before 1977; and finally, a Susse edition, beginning in 1988, consisting of eight copies, four artist’s proofs, and one non-commercial proof. A cast on a pedestal intended for Aline Renoir’s grave at the Essoyes cemetery will finally be cast by Godard, presumably based on the plaster model preserved by Jean Renoir. 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 body of work created by the Renoir-Guino duo. It illustrates a moment when sculpture stepped away from the realm of commercial commissions to become an expression of a deeply personal tribute, making this effigy one of the most moving creations to emerge from their collaboration. LOTS WILL BE PICKED UP IN DOURDAN (Essonne) S
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