Portrait of a gentleman

The present lot was known with the heirs of J.F.S. Esser as a portrait of Piet Mondriaan. It was first reproduced in a newspaper in 1930, without mentioning the name of the sitter. According to Cecilia de Torres, who is currently compiling the catalogue raisonné on Joaquin Torres-Garcia, the date of the painting (1927) makes it unlikely that Mondriaan is depicted here. Although the sitter resembles Mondriaan, Mondriaan and Torres-Garcia were only introduced to each other in 1929 by Michel Seuphor.

We kindly thank Mrs Cecilia de Torres for her help in cataloguing this lot, which will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's work, under no. P. 192717.