£325
Contemporary & Post-War Art | 595
Auction: 16 April 2020 at 12:00 BST
Lithograph, published by Verve, signed in stone, with another image verso, unframed
Biography:
Rouault is a hugely important French artist most often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Born of poor parents, as a fourteen-year-old Rouault began an apprenticeship as a glass restorer and painter and it has been suggested that this early training is a likely source for his characteristic use of heavy black outlining and strong colours. After studying in Paris Rouault took part in major public exhibitions such as the Salon D’Automne and made friends with many of the avant-garde artists of the time, notably Matisse and Marquet. From 1907 Rouault began a series of paintings devoted to courts, clowns and prostitutes and then from 1917 he dedicated himself to religious subject matter. A noted print maker, his work reached a wider audience through his published work and our example is a lithograph produced by the well-regarded magazine Verve. His work is to be found in every major Art Gallery worldwide and his reputation protected by the Georges Rouault Foundation.