A Haunted Coachman in Park by French Expressionist...greta Garbo Owned a Works by the Artist! Oil on Canvas

Gabriel Dauchot (1927-2005) was the quintessential artist: unworldly, bohemian, romantic, frequently drunk. While he often depicted the past and its glamour - balls, elegant ladies and horse drawn carriages were among his favourite subjects - Dauchot's figures always have an air of vulnerability and appear slightly lost. Not for nothing was Dauchot often called ''the painter of the human comedy''. The work presented here shows us the idyllic scene of the Parisian Bois de Boulogne in springtime, but there is the slight sense of menace, brilliantly descending from the mottled sky. It may just be the fear of a downpour, but the coachman seems like haunted. For Dauchot, beauty is fragile.

Dauchot admired Maurice Utrillo and Chaim Soutine. He studied with Yves Brayer and Othon-Friez and soon received enormous acclaim, being hailed as one of the most important artists of his generation.

In 1951 Dauchot was awarded the Prize of the Society of Art Collectors. He exhibited at the prestigious Galleries Durand-Ruel and Katia Granoff in Paris and internationally, with Hatfield Gallery in Los Angeles, Juster Gallery in New York, and the O'Hana Gallery in London.

Former French president and avid art collector Jacques Chirac praised Dauchot's work in a speech, and actress Greta Garbo was known to be a collector of Dauchot's work.

Here is an exquisite oil on canvas from the 1960s which combines freshness and virtuosity with his characteristic wistfulness.

Signed at the lower right, the painting measures 47 x 19 cm. The overall framed size in an elegant traditional French frame with a linen liner is 70 x 41.5 cm.

The work is titled my the artist to the reverse "Le chariot au bois" (The carriage in the Woods). To the verso also, the original price of 24.000 French Francs. To give you a point of comparaison: my first graduate salary in Paris in the 90s was around 10.000 Francs!

Nous parlons français, und wir sprechen auch Deutsch! Paintings may be viewed in Norwich and in Paris, as well as in London and Cambridge by appointment. Please contact us if you would like further details and images of an artwork.