Le bar du Liberty's

Details

Bernard Buffet (1928-1999)
Le bar du Liberty's
signed and dated ‘Bernard Buffet 50’ (upper right)
oil on canvas
63 x 63 in. (160 x 160 cm.)
Painted in 1950

Provenance

Galerie Boulakia, Paris.
Galerie Taménaga, Tokyo.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in January 1981.

Literature

Y. le Pichon & M. Garnier, Bernard Buffet, vol. I, 1943-1961, Lausanne, 1986, no. 108, p. 171 (illustrated p. 147).

Special Notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Antoine Lebouteiller

alebouteiller@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2515

Lot Essay

This work is recorded in the Maurice Garnier Archives.

As early as 1947, Buffet started to take interest in the interplay between his angular approach to portraiture and the interiors in which his subjects posed – the powerful diagonal of a sitter’s arms or legs against the verticality of the surrounding walls or windows. The angles of the barman’s shoulders, and the strict verticals of his torso, are mirrored in the shape of the coffee machines and wine bottles behind him. The artist’s palette at this time was dominated by subdued and atmospheric greys, and the visual effect of the stark black and white of the barman’s uniform, and the bright white of the cup, must also have appealed to the artist.

More from Impressionist/Modern Day Sale

View All