Chauffrey: Large Elegant Modernist Still Life With Fruit On A Table

A large and elegant still life with grapes and pears on a table which also features a crisp white bowl and a candlestick. Painted with simplicity, clarity of structure and restrained emotion, this is a superb modernist work by Jean Chauffrey (1911-) dating from circa 1950.

At the time, Chauffrey had a contract with mythical Paris art dealers Bernheim-Jeune, who promoted and exhibited his work in the post war years.

Bernheim-Jeune had started by presenting works by Pierre Bonnard, douard Vuillard, Paul Czanne, Henri-Edmond Cross, Kees van Dongen, Henri Matisse, Le Douanier Rousseau, Raoul Dufy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Amedeo Modigliani and Maurice Utrillo.

From 1906 to 1925, art critic Flix Fnon was the director of the gallery and was instrumental in bringing in the art of Georges Seurat. The gallery became one of the centres of the artistic avant-garde.

Jean Chauffrey had studied in the studio of Lucien Simon, along with other artists who are favourites of mine, such as Boris Taslitzky, Amrita Sher-Gil and Andre Hambourg. Chauffrey exhibition widely at the Salon des Tuileries, th Salon de Mai and the Salon d'Automne.

Measuring 65 x 71 cm, the oil on canvas is signed at the lower left. The overall framed size in a good frame with minor wear is 71 x 91 cm.